As the health of a senior deteriorates, the number of medications they take can increase.
However, the side effects of those pills can continue to cause their bodies harm.
Genevieve Perron said she was once on 29 different medications, slept 22 hours a day and walked like a "drunken sailor."
"One was a pretty big (pill), I was pretty glad to get rid of that one," she said. "I'd go from one side of the sidewalk to the other. . . I couldn't walk a straight line."
Genevieve's case can be seen with others, when seniors add pills they've taken for years to new ones as they age.
"Some patients may have been on meds for 40-50 years," said Dr. Barbara Farrell with the Bruyere day hospital. "The original prescriber has died. . . they might not know why they are on a medication and their doctor might not know."
The dangers of over-medication for seniors includes confusion, falling, or just stopping their dosages altogether.
Farrell said she works with many elderly people to refine what medications they still need, eliminating a number of drugs over a period of weeks.
"Over a course of ten weeks we stopped 13 of her meds," she said, referring to the 82-year-old Perron. "By the end she was walking again with a cane, knitting again."
It's also important for children to know what their parents are taking, Farrell said.
This can help them see if their parents may be taking too many, and also saves time if a parent ever ends up in the emergency room.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's health reporter Kate Eggins
Wednesday: Part three of our series talks about support for caregivers of the elderly
