I work extensively with older adults at MVS Psychology Group in Melbourne, and medication confusion is absolutely a real issue I see regularly in my clinical practice. One patient in her mid-70s was prescribed Xanax for anxiety but received Zantac (the former heartburn medication) instead--she kept wondering why her panic attacks weren't improving. The pharmacist had misread the handwriting, and she didn't question it because "the doctor knows best." From what I've observed consulting at Monash Health in acute psychiatry, the data on pharmacy dispensing errors ranges from 1-4% of all prescriptions, with look-alike/sound-alike drug names being a major contributor. Celebrex and Celexa get mixed up constantly--one's for arthritis pain, the other's an antidepressant. Seniors are particularly vulnerable because many are on 5+ medications, making it harder to catch errors. The psychological impact is significant too. I've treated older patients who developed severe anxiety about taking ANY medication after one mix-up, which then creates non-adherence issues with medications they actually need. The chaos isn't just physical--it's deeply emotional when you lose trust in a system you depend on for your health. Your angle is spot-on. I'd suggest reaching out to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care--they publish excellent data on medication errors that would translate well to your American audience. The stories practically write themselves when you interview pharmacists who've caught near-misses.
I run multiple healthcare businesses including a hospice and visiting physician service where we manage medications for seniors with dementia and complex conditions. The craziest pattern I see isn't pharmacy errors--it's when drug companies rebrand the SAME medication under different names for different conditions, and patients end up double-dosing themselves. Perfect example: I had a Memory Lane resident whose cardiologist prescribed Cardizem for her heart, then six months later a neurologist added Tiazac for migraines. Her daughter nearly had a heart attack when I explained both were diltiazem--she'd been paying for two copays and giving mom double the calcium channel blocker dose for three months. The patient was constantly exhausted and we couldn't figure out why until I reconciled everything during a routine visit. The visiting physician model actually catches this stuff because we physically go to patients' homes and see every bottle on their counter. I'd estimate 30-40% of my elderly patients are accidentally taking duplicate medications under different brand names when I first meet them. Metformin becomes Glucophage, then someone adds Fortamet, and suddenly grandma's having GI issues from triple-dosing diabetes meds. For your AARP article, interview patients about the Eliquis/Eloquist confusion--Eliquis is a blood thinner, Eloquist doesn't exist, but I've seen at least five seniors mishear their doctor and ask pharmacists for the wrong thing. They walk out with nothing, skip doses, then end up stroking out because nobody confirmed the actual drug name in writing.
In my work as a plastic surgeon, I've seen patients mix up drugs that sound alike. Someone once confused Celebrex for pain with Celexa for depression after surgery. They figured the similar names meant they worked the same, so they were in pain for days before we sorted it out. This happens most with older folks juggling several prescriptions. I tell my patients to just bring in all their pill bottles, or at least a list, so we can catch any mix-ups on the spot.