RALEIGH, N.C., March 31 (UPI) -- Remembering a medication can mean the difference between life and death; nonetheless, people still forget, U.S. researchers said.
Lead author Dr. Shevaun Neupert, an assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State University, divided study participants into two groups: younger adults -- ages 18-20 -- and older adults -- 60-89 -- and tracked their behavior.
Changes in daily behavior affect different age groups differently, Neupert said.
"For example, young people do the best job of remembering to take their medication on days when they are busier than usual," Neupert said in a statement. "But older adults do a better job of remembering their medication on days when they are less busy."
Neupert said that such a disparity was found between young and old adults that messages about prescriptions should be tailored to each age group.
The study, "Age Differences in Daily Predictors of Forgetting to Take Medication: The Importance of Context and Cognition," is scheduled to be published in Experimental Aging Research.
