Is the Nursing Home Overmedicating Your Elderly Loved One?
In the days before nursing homes became so highly regulated, many facilities used medications to sedate patients. Elders who were cooperative and slept a lot were easier to manage and required less attention from staff members. Therefore, many nursing homes consider medicating patients to be both efficient and cost effective. While nursing home regulations have come a long way, the practice of misusing certain drugs as “chemical restraints” continues to tarnish the industry’s reputation and factor into families’ long-term care decisions.
Do Nursing Homes Sedate Patients?
Antipsychotics and sedatives were frequently prescribed to calm patients, especially those who had Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. In some cases, a low dose may have been beneficial for residents and staff alike, but these medications are very powerful. They can affect seniors and especially dementia patients differently compared to the general population. Some even carry a “black box warning” indicating a high risk of adverse reactions and even death.
Over the past few decades, nursing homes have been subjected to more intense scrutiny regarding safety and quality. Most states, along with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have put strict guidelines in place to govern hygiene practices, the use of restraints and, of course, administration of medications. For example…
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