Though there has been significant reduction in the use of powerful antipsychotic drugs in nursing home residents, advocacy groups highlight that overmedication remains a major problem.
Dr. Jerry Gurwitz, chief of geriatric medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, says that there has been a dramatic drop in the percentage of nursing home patients on these powerful drugs, but wonders if some nursing homes may be using other less regulated medications to sedate patients into passivity.
Advocacy groups say the lower rate of antipsychotic usage still is too high, especially since elderly people with dementia have a higher risk of death when given these drugs. For more, read the story.
