{"id":11271,"date":"2026-07-27T11:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T16:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T11:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T16:38:13","slug":"polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Polypharmacy an Epidemic for Seniors?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11271\" class=\"elementor elementor-11271\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-306ad3e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"306ad3e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ae66647 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ae66647\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Polypharmacy, meaning regularly taking multiple medications, typically five or more, to manage one or several health conditions, becomes more common with age.<\/p><p>About <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmdlive.com\/too-much-of-a-good-thing-unpacking-the-rise-of-polypharmacy-in-seniors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">90% of adults 65 and older<\/a> take at least one prescription medication daily, and 42% take five or more, the clinical threshold for polypharmacy in seniors.<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_11272\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11272\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"blog-80 wp-image-11272 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors.webp\" alt=\"Polypharmacy in Seniors, Explained \u2502 Pegasus Senior Living\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11272\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pegasus Senior Living offers medication management services, which are especially helpful for those managing polypharmacy.<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>With numbers like these, it is worth asking whether managing this many prescriptions has become a widespread problem in its own right.<\/p><h2>Polypharmacy in the Elderly, Defined<\/h2><p>The meaning of polypharmacy describes a patient who regularly takes five or more medications, whether prescription, over-the-counter, or supplements. Some conditions call for several medications by design, while others build up a longer list over time.<\/p><p>Aging bodies process medications more slowly, chronic conditions become more common with each decade, and most seniors end up under the care of several specialists instead of one, each prescribing for the issue in front of them without always seeing the full list.<\/p><p>A few factors make polypharmacy more common with age:<\/p><ul><li>Chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure often develop together, each calling for its own medication<\/li><li>Seeing multiple specialists means more than one provider is prescribing without a shared view of the full list<\/li><li>Hospital stays and emergency visits often add new prescriptions at discharge<\/li><li>Over-the-counter drugs and supplements are easy to add without medical guidance<\/li><\/ul><h2>Common Challenges of Managing Multiple Medications<\/h2><p>Managing that many medications comes with real challenges. At least 18% of older adults take 10 or more medications on an ongoing basis, multiplying the chances of confusion or error.<\/p><p>A patient taking five to nine medications has about a <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10214698\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">50% chance of a drug-drug interaction<\/a>, a risk that climbs as the list grows. Adverse drug events lead to close to 700,000 emergency department visits and 100,000 hospitalizations <a href=\"https:\/\/psnet.ahrq.gov\/primer\/medication-errors-and-adverse-drug-events\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">each year in the United States<\/a>, many of which could be avoided with closer oversight.<\/p><p>Families and caregivers often run into the same issues:<\/p><ul><li>Missed doses, especially when medications are taken at different times of day<\/li><li>Duplicate medications, often prescribed under different brand and generic names<\/li><li>Drug interactions between prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and supplements<\/li><li>Changing schedules every time a dosage is adjusted<\/li><\/ul><h2>How Polypharmacy Happens<\/h2><p>Polypharmacy rarely happens all at once. It builds gradually as new diagnoses, specialists, and prescriptions stack on top of each other.<\/p><p>Between 1994 and 2014, the proportion of older adults taking five or more medications climbed from 13.8% to 42.4%. Current trends suggest close to 50% of the older population could meet the definition of polypharmacy by 2030.<\/p><p>More than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK574550\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">50% of older adults<\/a> are already taking at least one medication that is not clinically necessary, often because no one has circled back to ask if it still is.<\/p><p>A few common scenarios show how this happens:<\/p><ul><li>A senior manages several chronic conditions, each treated by a different specialist unaware of what the others prescribed<\/li><li>A hospital stay adds new prescriptions at discharge, and the older ones are never fully reconciled<\/li><li>Over-the-counter pain relievers, sleep aids, or supplements are added without a doctor\u2019s input<\/li><li>A medication for a short-term issue is never revisited once the problem resolves<\/li><\/ul><h2>Working With a Healthcare Provider on Medication Management for Seniors<\/h2><p>The best way to stay ahead of polypharmacy is regular, honest conversation with a primary care provider or pharmacist.<\/p><p>Bringing a complete list, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements, to every appointment gives a provider the full picture. This kind of oversight works best on a set schedule rather than only after a problem shows up.<\/p><p>A few questions are worth asking at every review:<\/p><ul><li>Is this medication still necessary for my current health?<\/li><li>Could the dosage be adjusted or reduced?<\/li><li>Are there any side effects I should watch for?<\/li><li>Does this medication interact with anything else I am taking?<\/li><\/ul><h2>How Assisted Living Supports Medication Management Services for Seniors<\/h2><p>At <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/resources\/\">Pegasus Senior Living<\/a>, we support this kind of oversight in our communities every day. Our trained team members help residents follow prescribed routines and coordinate directly with healthcare providers and family members when changes are needed.<\/p><p>This daily medication management for seniors reduces the odds of a missed dose or a forgotten refill.<\/p><p>Beyond the medication list, we also offer holistic programs, such as fitness classes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/blog\/nutrition-for-cognitive-health\/\">nutrition-focused dining<\/a>, and social engagement, that support overall health and may reduce the need for certain medications over time.<\/p><p>For us, managing medications for seniors is not only about the pill organizer. It also means addressing the conditions and habits behind a growing list.<\/p><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-399bf1f uael-faq-box-layout-yes align-at-left elementor-widget elementor-widget-uael-faq\" data-id=\"399bf1f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"uael-faq.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div id='uael-faq-wrapper-604' class=\"uael-faq-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uael-faq-container uael-faq-layout-accordion\" data-layout=\"accordion\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"uael-accordion-46e08d9\" class=\"uael-faq-accordion\" role=\"tablist\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class= \"uael-accordion-title\" aria-expanded=\"false\" role=\"tab\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon uael-accordion-icon-left\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-question-46e08d9 uael-question-span\" tabindex=\"0\" id=\"uael-faq-1-6a72581c7beb9\">What is polypharmacy?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uael-accordion-content\" role=\"tabpanel\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><p>Polypharmacy is the regular use of five or more medications by one patient. It becomes more common with age as chronic conditions accumulate and more specialists get involved in a person\u2019s care.<\/p><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"uael-accordion-2362f1f\" class=\"uael-faq-accordion\" role=\"tablist\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class= \"uael-accordion-title\" aria-expanded=\"false\" role=\"tab\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon uael-accordion-icon-left\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-question-2362f1f uael-question-span\" tabindex=\"0\" id=\"uael-faq-2-6a72581c7bf19\">How many medications count as polypharmacy?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uael-accordion-content\" role=\"tabpanel\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><p>Most clinicians define it as regularly taking five or more medications, though some studies flag 10 or more as a distinct, higher-risk category.<\/p><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"uael-accordion-29b8c93\" class=\"uael-faq-accordion\" role=\"tablist\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class= \"uael-accordion-title\" aria-expanded=\"false\" role=\"tab\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon uael-accordion-icon-left\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-question-29b8c93 uael-question-span\" tabindex=\"0\" id=\"uael-faq-3-6a72581c7bf4e\">Can polypharmacy be reduced once it starts?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uael-accordion-content\" role=\"tabpanel\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><p>Yes, in many cases. A regular medication review with a doctor or pharmacist can identify medications that are no longer necessary, or that could be simplified.<\/p><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"uael-accordion-89170c6\" class=\"uael-faq-accordion\" role=\"tablist\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class= \"uael-accordion-title\" aria-expanded=\"false\" role=\"tab\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon uael-accordion-icon-left\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uael-question-89170c6 uael-question-span\" tabindex=\"0\" id=\"uael-faq-4-6a72581c7bf81\">Do assisted living communities help with medication management?<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"uael-accordion-content\" role=\"tabpanel\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><p>Team members in senior living communities can support daily routines and communicate with providers and family members, though the level of support varies by community and care type.<\/p><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a86c596 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a86c596\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>A Growing List Worth a Second Look<\/h2><p>Whether polypharmacy constitutes a true epidemic depends on perspective, but the data points in one direction. It is a widespread, still growing pattern among older adults, and much of it is preventable with more consistent oversight of the medications already prescribed.<\/p><p>Regular reviews and honest conversations with a care team can turn an overwhelming list into a manageable one.<\/p><h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Learn More About Medication Support at Pegasus Senior Living<\/h2><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>If a family member is showing signs of polypharmacy, our team members are here to help. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/contact\/\">Contact us today<\/a> to learn how Pegasus Senior Living <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/communities\/\">communities<\/a> support medication management for residents.<\/em><\/p><p><em>This article should not replace medical advice. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist regarding any concerns about your current medications.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Polypharmacy, meaning regularly taking multiple medications, typically five or more, to manage one or several health conditions, becomes more common with age. About 90% of adults 65 and older take at least one prescription medication daily, and 42% take five or more, the clinical threshold for polypharmacy in seniors. With numbers like these, it is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":11272,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[155,39,146,76],"tags":[213,214,215,216],"class_list":["post-11271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-assisted-living","category-health","category-memory-care","category-senior-living","tag-approach-to-care","tag-education","tag-opinion","tag-statistics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Polypharmacy in Seniors, Explained \u2502 Pegasus Senior Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Polypharmacy means taking multiple medications regularly, often five or more, a pattern that grows more common with age.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Polypharmacy in Seniors, Explained \u2502 Pegasus Senior Living\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Polypharmacy means taking multiple medications regularly, often five or more, a pattern that grows more common with age.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pegasus Landing of North Riverside\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PegasusLandingofNRiverside\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-27T16:38:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Pegasus Senior\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Polypharmacy in Seniors, Explained \u2502 Pegasus Senior Living\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Polypharmacy means taking multiple medications regularly, often five or more, a pattern that grows more common with age.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Pegasus Senior\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Pegasus Senior\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/af8613bb66051f877cf4369568f40a89\"},\"headline\":\"Is Polypharmacy an Epidemic for Seniors?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-27T16:38:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1024,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/69\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Approach to Care\",\"Education\",\"Opinion\",\"Statistics\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Assisted Living\",\"Health\",\"Memory Care\",\"Senior Living\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/\",\"name\":\"Polypharmacy in Seniors, Explained \u2502 Pegasus Senior Living\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/69\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-27T16:38:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"Polypharmacy means taking multiple medications regularly, often five or more, a pattern that grows more common with age.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/69\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/69\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Pegasus Senior Living offers medication management services, which are especially helpful for those managing polypharmacy.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/27\\\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Is Polypharmacy an Epidemic for Seniors?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/\",\"name\":\"Pegasus Landing of North Riverside\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Pegasus Landing of North Riverside\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/69\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Pegasus-Landing-of-North-Riverside-Horizontal-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/69\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Pegasus-Landing-of-North-Riverside-Horizontal-Logo.png\",\"width\":2094,\"height\":544,\"caption\":\"Pegasus Landing of North Riverside\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PegasusLandingofNRiverside\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\\\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/af8613bb66051f877cf4369568f40a89\",\"name\":\"Pegasus Senior\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Polypharmacy in Seniors, Explained \u2502 Pegasus Senior Living","description":"Polypharmacy means taking multiple medications regularly, often five or more, a pattern that grows more common with age.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Polypharmacy in Seniors, Explained \u2502 Pegasus Senior Living","og_description":"Polypharmacy means taking multiple medications regularly, often five or more, a pattern that grows more common with age.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/","og_site_name":"Pegasus Landing of North Riverside","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PegasusLandingofNRiverside","article_published_time":"2026-07-27T16:38:13+00:00","author":"Pegasus Senior","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Polypharmacy in Seniors, Explained \u2502 Pegasus Senior Living","twitter_description":"Polypharmacy means taking multiple medications regularly, often five or more, a pattern that grows more common with age.","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Pegasus Senior","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/"},"author":{"name":"Pegasus Senior","@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/#\/schema\/person\/af8613bb66051f877cf4369568f40a89"},"headline":"Is Polypharmacy an Epidemic for Seniors?","datePublished":"2026-07-27T16:38:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/"},"wordCount":1024,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors.webp","keywords":["Approach to Care","Education","Opinion","Statistics"],"articleSection":["Assisted Living","Health","Memory Care","Senior Living"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/","name":"Polypharmacy in Seniors, Explained \u2502 Pegasus Senior Living","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-27T16:38:13+00:00","description":"Polypharmacy means taking multiple medications regularly, often five or more, a pattern that grows more common with age.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/08\/pegasus-polypharmacy-epidemic-seniors.webp","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"Pegasus Senior Living offers medication management services, which are especially helpful for those managing polypharmacy."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/polypharmacy-in-seniors-defined\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is Polypharmacy an Epidemic for Seniors?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/","name":"Pegasus Landing of North Riverside","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/#organization","name":"Pegasus Landing of North Riverside","url":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/Pegasus-Landing-of-North-Riverside-Horizontal-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2026\/01\/Pegasus-Landing-of-North-Riverside-Horizontal-Logo.png","width":2094,"height":544,"caption":"Pegasus Landing of North Riverside"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PegasusLandingofNRiverside"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/#\/schema\/person\/af8613bb66051f877cf4369568f40a89","name":"Pegasus Senior"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11274,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11271\/revisions\/11274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasusseniorliving.com\/pegasus-landing-of-north-riverside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}