Go to the following website, download and read the article found there:

https://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/1115/p1917.html

Then, in a 2 to 2 1/2 page paper, provide the following:

What is polypharmacy? Outline the numbers of older Americans engaged in polypharmacy. Why is this such a problem for the elderly in the United States and what impact does it have for families? Compare numbers from the article published in 2002 and more recent numbers that you can find through a search, how they differ (if at all) and what you attribute this to. Describe how do drugs interact in the aging body. Provide your suggestion for how you might aid an older adult, maybe even a family member, reduce the likelihood of having adverse reactions to medications while also increasing adherence with drug therapies and reducing the risk of polypharmacy at the individual and/or community level. Then, research and discuss which prescription drugs are mostly likely to be abused/misused or elderly become dependent upon in the U.S.