More Half Dementia Patients in Nursing Homes Are Given Dangerous Drugs
JAMA Internal Medicine conducted a study and analysis to estimate the prevalence of medications with questionable benefits being used by nursing homes on residents with advanced dementia. The findings are stark: Nursing homes administer largely pointless and potentially harmful drugs to the majority of advanced dementia residents. The study concluded that most nursing home residents with advanced dementia receive medications with questionable benefit and incur substantial associated costs. In fact, the costs associated with these medications is substantial. During the average 90-day stay at a nursing home, costs for these drugs was $816. This represents more than 1/3 of the medication costs for nursing home residents with advanced dementia.
At York Law Firm, we have been investigating and handling medication errors and the use of improper drugs (chemical restraints) in nursing homes since 1996. If you believe your loved one has been the victim of elder abuse or neglect in a nursing home or assisted living facility, or believe your family has a wrongful death claim, please call our office so that we can investigate your case at 916-643-2200 or contact us online. We are dedicated to representing families whose elders and dependent adults who have been injured, neglected or abused.
To read the recently published case study, click here: http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1901117.