Anticholinergic and sedative medications use in the Canadian population

Project Summary

Some commonly used medications for depression, allergies and sleep, have been found to decrease older adults’ ability to move, walk and stand up from a chair. Studies have also shown that these medications may cause people to become confused. When this happens, older people may fall and need to be treated in hospital. These medications may also interfere with the sleep and social activities of older adults. We have very limited information on the number of older Canadians who use these medications. We have even less information on the characteristics (for example age, sex and gender) of the older adults who use these medications. The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging has collected all the information needed for our study that aims to describe the use of these medications in the aging Canadian population. Our project will also look at how the use of these medications affect the mobility, cognition, sleep and social participation of aging Canadians.