Apr 30 2012
A report by the Boston Globe based on government information finds many nursing homes use powerful sedatives on patients who should not be getting them.
Boston Globe: Over two months in early 2006, she visited 10 facilities, trying to make sure she picked the right one. Weingartner finally chose Ledgewood Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center in Beverly because it had an Alzheimer's special care unit and it was near her home. She could visit her mother often (Lazar and Carroll, 4/29).
USA Today: Report: Anti-Psychotics Wrongly Prescribed In Nursing Homes
Many nursing homes are typically using anti-psychotic drugs in residents who display agitation and combative behavior, but who should not be administered the powerful sedatives, a Boston Globe report based on government data has found (Eversley, 4/29).
Earlier, related KHN coverage: Off-Label Use Of Risky Antipsychotic Drugs Raises Concerns (Boodman, 3/12).
 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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