Power-Up Friday
Thanks to my friend June Burgess, Eden Coordinator for the UK and Ireland, for alerting me to this news release. The BBC highlighted the problems with antipsychotic drug overuse in people living with dementia in the 11/12 BBC online edition.
The article highlights the problem in the UK, which is also reflected in the US and throughout the industrialized world. There were 180,000 people given antipsychotics for dementia in English nursing homes and it was felt that 85% of these prescriptions were unnecessary. Furthermore, the drugs were felt to have contributed to death in 1% of those given them.The government in England has agreed to “take steps to reduce” the drug use. But can you legislate culture change? This is beyond simply writing improved standards of care or increased oversight. Care homes need assistance in changing the culture of care for people with dementia if we are ever to get to the root of the problem.
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