Dear Readers: The North Dakota Insurance Department sends out an excellent newsletter called the RxConnector. One subject addressed in the January edition references a December article in the Wall Street Journal, titled "Nursing homes struggle to kick drug habit."
The Wall Street Journal article brought to light the use, by some nursing homes, of antipsychotic drugs to "calm" dementia patients. This is something many families and professionals have fought against for years.
Now drug companies are producing newer medications called atypical antipsychotics. These are meant to treat people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and can be very effective. However, federal regulatory authorities have found widespread use of atypical antipsychotics in nursing homes.
Bruce Pollack, president-elect of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, told the Wall Street Journal that atypical antipsychotics are not effective treatments for dementia.
"We know the more staffing there is and the higher quality of care, the less antipsychotic usage," Pollock was quoted as saying.
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In forward-looking nursing homes, fewer drugs are needed, as they are finding that human interaction and attention are calming dementia patients far more effectively than these drugs. Finding out why a dementia patient is upset, and doing what you can to change that patient's environment, is proving effective for many of these homes.
One can hope that this approach will very soon become the norm. Obviously, there is a place for drugs for people with certain types of dementia, but drugs should be given for the health of the patient, not the convenience of staff.
As family caregivers, we must be understanding about nursing home concerns, yet vigilant about medications. We need to ask questions about what is being prescribed and why. We may need to do some research. Our elders, especially those with dementia, are vulnerable to mistreatment. If they are to be given a drug, there should be a good reason for that choice.
Resources: The Family Caregiver Alliance has updated a wonderful tool for long-distance caregivers. This is a good one to add to others I've mentioned in this column, such as The Eldercare Locator at www.eldercare.gov , Senior Approved Services at www.seniorsapprove.com and CareGrade at www.CareGrade.com .
The FCA site, Caregiving Across the States, is an interactive database that profiles caregiving and aging resources. The site is www.caregiver.org .
One more site to check out is www.eldercarelink.com . This site claims to have checked out the resources it offers. You are asked to fill out a form about what your needs are. Aging Solutions has partnered with Eldercare Link, so I am comfortable recommending the service. Aging Solutions is widely respected in the eldercare field. As always, check references no matter how you find the services. You can't check too much.
Bursack is the author of a support book on family elder care. To submit questions to "Minding Our Elders" and view past columns, go to www.inforum.com and click on columnists. Readers can reach Bursack at cbursack@forumcomm.com or write her at The Forum, Box 2020, Fargo, ND 58107.
