The over-medication of dementia patients

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Dementia Patients Are Often Treated With Anti-Psychotics. That Can Be Dangerous By Haley Weiss Health Reporter Tending to elderly patients with mid- or late-stage dementia can be a thankless task for caregivers, who are often met with fear and agitation. It’s understandable, then, how the off-label prescription of anti-psychotic medication became a frequently used last-resort treatment for some of the more difficult behavioral symptoms of diseases such as Alzheimer’s. A new study however, suggests these drugs, which can produce harmful side effects, may be used more often than is merited. Of older adults in New York living outside of nursing homes with dementia symptoms, 17.2% are prescribed at least one anti-psychotic medication, more than twice the rate of patients without dementia. The problem remains, however, that caregivers have few good options beyond such drugs for patients who are be a danger to themselves or others. READ MORE Share This Story

What Else to Read 6 Things to Do if Your Doctor Isn’t Listening to You By Angela Haupt Spend time preparing for every appointment, take someone with you, and get vulnerable. Read More » Opposites Don’t Attract: Why You and Your Spouse Are So Much Alike By Jeffrey Kluger Opposites don't attract. A new study shows that members of a couple are alike on up to 89% of the traits scientists studied. Read More » Doctors Don’t Know How to Talk About Down Syndrome By Amy Julia Becker A new study sheds light on the role of bias in prenatal diagnoses. Read More » Why McConnell Can't Downplay His Freezes By Mini Racker Doctors for Woodrow Wilson and Donald Trump are among those who lied to the public about a politician's health. Read More » What to Know if Your Doctor Put You on Statins to Lower Cholesterol By Elizabeth Millard Answers to five questions about this common treatment for lowering cholesterol. Read More »

ONE LAST READ Can friendships survive parenthood? It’s self-evident that having a child will change your life. But what does it mean for your friends' lives? Writing for The Cut, Allison P. Davis explores the broader stresses that children can put on the various strands and stitches that comprise the fabric of a given social group. Read More »

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