Standard medical care sometimes errs on the side of caution, often with no adverse effects other than increased costs. However, in some cases, especially with the care of elderly and aging adults, this caution can sometimes have dangerous results, such as the overuse of antibiotics. How to reduce unnecessary antibiotic treatment in nursing homes is the subject of a guest editorial in Caring for the Ages, an online newsletter published by the American Medical Directors Association (AMDA). Dr. Charles Phillips, regents professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, and Dr. David R. Mehr, professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, discuss the importance of proper antibiotic stewardship in the nursing home.