The purpose of this investigation was to examine changes in the sleep quality of older women over time and to determine whether dimensions of psychological well-being, health (subjective health and number of illnesses), and psychological distress (depression and anxiety) predict these changes. A secondary analysis was conducted using a longitudinal sample of aging women (Kwan, Love, Ryff, & Essex, 2003). Of 518 community-dwelling elderly women in the parent study, 115 women (baseline M age = 67, SD = 7.18) with data at baseline, 8 years, and 10 years were used for this investigation. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires and participated in in-home interviews and observations. Growth curve modeling (GCM) was used to examine the overall linear trajectories of sleep quality. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was used to examine whether there were different patterns of change in sleep quality over time and to examine baseline predictors of each pattern. Sleep quality declined over time but not for all women. Two distinctly different sleep patterns emerged: good but declining sleep quality (GS) and disrupted sleep (DS) quality. Higher psychological well-being (positive relations with others, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, and self-acceptance), fewer illnesses, and lower depression scores at baseline predicted reduced odds for membership in the DS group. Future research is needed to examine whether interventions focused on maintaining or enhancing psychological well-being could minimize later life declines in sleep quality.

Background Older adults are the largest consumers of over the counter (OTC) medications. Of the older adults who are at risk of a major adverse drug event, more than 50% of these events involve an OTC medication. Objective To explore how older adults select and hypothetically use OTC medications and if the selected medications would be considered safe for use. Methods Walking interviews were conducted with 20 community-dwelling older adults in a community pharmacy. Each participant selected an OTC medication for a hypothetical pain and sleep scenario. Data were analyzed for four types of misuse: drug-drug interaction, drug-disease interaction, drug-age interaction, and excess usage. Results At least one instance of potential misuse was found in 95% of participants. For sleep medications, drug-drug interactions and drug-age interactions were more common, affecting 50% and 65% of participants respectively. The most common type of misuse noted in the pain products selected was that of drug-drug interaction, with a total of 39 occurrences, affecting 60% of the participants. Conclusions OTC misuse is common among older adults, and it is important for older adults to seek out resources, such as a pharmacist, to help them make safe OTC decisions.

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