I daresay the percentage in group homes for the disabled and nursing homes is much closer to ONE HUNDRED PERCENT (100%). At least in group homes, the prevailing philosophy seems to be "the more drugs we give them, the better JOB we are doing~!".
Among the elderly, some 40% are taking 5 or more drugs.
CDC Says More Americans Are Taking Prescription Drugs
9/3/2010 2:35 PM ET
(RTTNews) - The number of Americans using prescription drugs has increased over the last ten years, says a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As part of its National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the CDC reports that people are more frequently turning to statins, anti-depressants, asthma controllers and mood enhancing drugs than ever before.According to the survey, 48 percent of all adult Americans reported taking at least one prescription medication in the last year, a jump from 44 percent one decade ago. The increase also held true from youths and seniors, whose usage rose to 20 percent and 90 percent, respectively.
CDC statistician Dr. Charles F. Dillon says that the most significant increase is that of the elderly. Within that group, nearly 40 percent of all patients require five or more prescription drugs.
This number using prescription drugs, almost 50%, is TWICE the estimate of those using ILLEGAL drugs. About 21.8 million Americans, or 8.7 percent of the population age 12 and older, reported using illegal drugs in 2009. That's the highest level since the survey began in 2002. The previous high was just over 20 million in 2006. From: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39200536/ns/health-addictions/
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