For older adults, a statin offered for primary prevention is about fewer heart attacks and strokes, not about living longer or staying independent. Many patients assume all three are on offer.
State the expected benefit in absolute terms over five years, name the common side effects, and agree a review date. A patient with limited life expectancy or high treatment burden may reasonably decline, and deprescribing is a legitimate decision rather than a failure.
- State what the statin is expected to prevent: cardiovascular events, not dementia or disability.
- Give the absolute benefit over five years rather than a relative risk reduction.
- Ask about muscle symptoms and check glucose at review.
- Revisit the decision when frailty, life expectancy or goals change.
Why it matters
Patients make better statin decisions when the promised benefit matches what the drug actually does.
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