Drugging Dementia Patients: Antipsychotic drugs commonly over prescribed in Massachusetts

Behavior modification for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients is a sensitive and debated topic. Some assisted living companies use restraints and antipsychotic medications as a way to make their patients more compliant while others believe that behaviors can be improved through positive reinforcement, understanding and treating people with dignity. Recently The Boston Globe reported that, “nearly 2,500 nursing home residents in Massachusetts were given were given powerful antipsychotic drugs last year that were not intended or recommended for their medical condition.” (Boston Globe) This evidence brings to light a much debated topic of the over use of these powerful medications.

Data collected from the federal centers for Medicare and Medicaid services showed that last year 28 percent of nursing home residents were given anti psychotics. Of that group 22 percent did not have a medical condition requiring such powerful drugs. The fear is wide spread that the patients most impacted by over prescription of antipsychotics are those suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. Antipsychotics taken by people with memory impairment can cause weight gain, increased confusion and sedation. In the past five years, federal regulators have issued warnings about the over prescription of these drugs twice.

Those suffering from memory impairments rely heavily on others to for their care. Unfortunately, this makes them easy targets to be taken advantage of.  Since the number of those diagnosed with Alzheimer is expected to sky rocket there is an increased sense of urgency to create regulations and protect this vulnerable segment of the population.

Robert A Stern, and Alzheimer’s specialist and researcher at Boston University School of Medicine, agrees that, “Way too many patients in nursing homes are treated with antipsychotics purely to sedate them or to control behaviors that are difficult for the staff. To the defense of nursing homes and nursing staff, they are indeed understaffed, they are indeed under-trained, and it takes an awful lot of well-trained people to manage the difficult behaviors that can be exhibited by people with dementia.”

To read the complete Boston Globe article visit:

http://bit.ly/d41i78

For tips on communicating with those suffering from Alzheimer’s visit:

http://www.silveradosenior.com/communication_strategies