According to a recent NPR article, there is a serious, growing issue of overmedicating nursing home residents. There are around 300,000 seniors in nursing homes today who are receiving anti-psychotic and\/or anti-anxiety medications. These medications aren\u2019t explicitly prescribed for dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s, rather, they\u2019re administered to make the stress and aggression that go along with these diseases more bearable for all involved, including the nursing home staff. <\/p>\n
However, Federal Law prohibits nursing home staff from administering antipsychotic or other psychoactive drugs for their own convenience, and for good reason. These drugs are intended to treat very specific and serious mental disorders (i.e. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder), and they have very specific warnings associated with their use with dementia, citing an increased risk of \u201cheart failure, infections and death.\u201d Medical professionals agree that these medications should be used as a last resort, but this is not always the case. <\/p>\n
If your loved one is in an Oklahoma nursing home facility and struggling with Alzheimer\u2019s and\/or dementia, you may want to monitor his or her status on a regular basis. Make sure you\u2019re aware of what medications are being administered and the reasons for them. If your loved one seems unnaturally lethargic, more prone to falls, or suffers an infection or a stroke, it could be a sign of overmedication. <\/p>\n