Three United States Senators are now officially trying to fight the misuse of antipsychotic drugs in nursing facilities across the country.
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) filed an amendment yesterday “seeking to combat the costly, widespread and inappropriate use of antipsychotics in nursing homes.”
According to Senator Chuck Grassley’s website, “numerous studies conducted during the last decade have concluded that these medications can be harmful when used by frail elders with dementia who do not have a diagnosis of serious mental illness. In fact, the FDA issued two ‘black box’ warnings citing increased risk of death when these drugs are used to treat elderly patients with dementia.”
The senators’ amendment “calls for a new prescriber education program to promote high-quality, evidence-based treatments, including non-pharmacological interventions.”
There’s no room for careless management of medications in a skilled nursing facility. If a nursing home has exposed your loved one to a medication error, contact the Kosieradzki Smith Law Firm online or toll free at (877) 552-2873 for a free initial consultation.
