Medicare spends over $5 billion a year on antipsychotic drugs. Many of those drugs are used by senior care facilities to subdue agitation and curb disruptive behavior among people with mental illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The percentage of nursing home residents currently on these types of medication has reached 30% and several studies have indicated that about half of those residents were prescribed those drugs inappropriately.
The most immediate result of these medications is residents who seem lethargic and have little interest in food, activities, or other people. These medications can also increase confusion, and lead to a higher risk of serious injury due to falls.
So why do health-care professionals choose to sedate their patients, rather than find the cause of the behavior?
“It’s the easy thing to do… [it’s] true in hospitals, in clinics, and in nursing homes,” says Dr. Mark Kunik at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
This trend has prompted many long-term-care facilities to incorporate their own programs to reduce the use of medications among residents suffering from cognitive impairments. Many have found that re-introducing activities that residents once enjoyed can have the same effect of curbing unwanted behavior, but with the added benefit of increasing happiness and quality of life.
“Whether you have Alzheimer’s of not, there’s a reason people get frustrated or upset – pain, urinary tract infections, hunger, fear of strangers or loud noises or strange settings… If you figure that out, you likely can find a safer, non-pharmalogic treatment,” explains Kunik.
Minnesota based – Ecumen recently conducted a pilot-program called Awakenings in one of its 15 long-term-care nursing homes. They worked closely with a psychiatrist and a pharmacist to develop this program to replace drugs with aromatherapy, massages, games, exercise, and more personal attention. Within six months they were able to eliminate antipsychotic drugs and cut the use of antidepressants in half. They had so much success that they have expanded this to all their nursing homes and have received a two-year, $3.7 million grant from the state of Minnesota.
At Silverado Senior Living we have championed that same philosophy since our inception and have seen great success through our Behavior Intervention program. On average our residents take 43% less medications than those at traditional nursing homes and have a fall rate almost 28% below the national average. We believe the key to this success is our person-centered culture that encourages our associates to develop personal relationships with each resident in order to better cater to their needs. We are pleased to see that this philosophy is being adopted by other long-term-care facilities throughout the country and hope to see this as a permanent change in how we collectively care for those with memory-impairing conditions.
Read more about Ecumen’s new program here: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/111326224.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUHPYDiaK7DUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU6:iPhD_oD3aPc:i_kchO7DUr
See how Silverado has touched the lives of those suffering from memory-impairment here: http://www.silveradosenior.com/silverado_stories
