Compliance aids, elderly patients

When prescribing medications for the elderly, it is important to consider physical disability, visual impairment, the shape or color of medications (ability to differentiate), and the belief system of the patient. It would be beneficial to have healthcare professionals review the technique of using certain devices and to discuss the use of compliance aids. 

Many patients, especially the elderly, experience difficulties in administrating eye drops. It has been demonstrated that standardisation of administration instructions and the use of mechanical aids can improve patient compliance. Certain commercial products are supplied with devices to facilitate instillation such as Xal-Ease and Eyot, and also Autosqueeze developed by the British Royal National Institute for the Blind [133]. An overview of the various mechanical aids can be found in Sect. 24.4.19. 

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