Nearly 25 percent of the residents in California's nursing homes are placed on antipsychotic drugs, often used as sort of a chemical leash to control behavior in a trend a watchdog called an epidemic Thursday at a symposium.The drugs can double the risk of death for seniors with dementia and cause side effects ranging from stroke to delirium, according to speakers at an Oxnard conference called "Toxic Medicine." Often the drugs are given in nursing homes or other facilities for dementia without the informed consent of residents or surrogates and are used as a restraint rather than to treat psychiatric conditions.
Over the past decade the use of the drugs has evolved from a sniffle to a flu to something much worse, said Sylvia Taylor Stein, of the Long Term Care Services of Ventura County ombudsman program.
"By 2010 we had an epidemic," she said in a symposium organized by her group and the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. It was attended by a packed house of nursing home leaders, assisted-living administrators, elder abuse lawyers and state licensing agencies.
Some at the conference linked the use of antipsychotics to staff shortages that make it impossible for employees to properly care for patients, state cuts in mental health programs that have brought more patients with psychiatric problems to long-term care facilities and doctors who have a drug-first mentality when it comes to long-term care residents.
Anthony Chicotel, an attorney with the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, said there are appropriate uses of the medication, such as when a patient has illnesses like schizophrenia. But Medicare statistics from the second quarter of last year showed 24.2 percent of the residents in the state's nursing homes were on antipsychotics. Medicare statistics from 2009 showed the use of the medication fluctuated greatly at different Ventura County nursing homes — from a low of 7 percent of the patients on the drugs seven days over one week to a high of about 30.6 percent.Often, use of the drugs becomes ingrained in a long-term care site's culture, Chicotel said. When patients with dementia or other issues yell in the middle night, hit other residents or try to flee the place, staff members call the physician.
"Hey doc, we have a new resident. He's out of control. He's throwing feces. We need a pill," he said.
Full Article and Source:
Use of Chemical Restraints in Nursing Homes Called an Epidemic
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I had that experience with my father almost 35 years ago.
ReplyDeleteMy mother Retta Rickow had a horrible experience at a place called Arden Courts in Clearwater, Fla. A Doctor named Randolph H. Hemsath had her on Resperdol, Atavan, and Serequel all in large doses. All because she was put there secretly by a brother and was crying because did not understand and wanted to go home. It took months and a Pharmacist who was going to make him sign if he continued that what he was doing was dangerous. Mom did recover from the terrible experience. I think some of these doctor's in nursing homes and ALF's are the worst abusers of Medicare and Medicaid. The Feds need to jump in and take a good look and talk with families.
ReplyDeleteIt's a growing epidemic. And I don't think people understand the seriousness of it unless it happens to their own loved one.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't just happening in nursing homes. It's happening in in-patient mental health facilities as well. Many of the patients I spoke with were not given a choice. You take your Seroquel orally, if not we'll shoot it or something like it in your leg. I love how they always say...we are doing this to keep you safe.
ReplyDeleteNASGA loves CANHR!
ReplyDeleteIsn't chemical restraints against the law? Sure it is, just like exploitation is? There are laws here in Texas that charge people for injury to a child, elderly or disabled person under the Penal Code. Sadly that this law does not protect those in nursing homes or other residential placements forcing these meds on the disabled and elderly. Unfortunately this law does not exist in these residencies otherwise there would be a whole lot of people going to jail or paying fines. All part of legalizing the abuse, neglect and exploitation just like the laws of Guardianship. Geez, looking into the future in our golden years looks pretty promising that we will be victims one day and left without any protections whatsoever from all laws in our states.
ReplyDeleteThe Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services had pertinent information on this topic on their website last year:
ReplyDeletehttps://oig.hhs.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2011/cnn_oped.asp
My mom is given massive doses of Seroquel and other psychotropic drugs that act synergstically. Those meds are not approved for use in the elderly.
ReplyDeleteWe obtained copies of Kaiser records where LVN Candi Hull at Wildwood Canyon Villa in California requested psychotropic drugs because Mom was agitated due to a urinary tract infection. Kaiser refused to overmedicate Mom at the request of the facilty. So the facility brought in Dr. Victoria Rains, who happily prescribed meds for chemical restraint.