US: Nursing Homes Misuse Drugs to Control Residents
Nursing homes across
The 157-page report, "'They Want Docile':
"People with dementia are often sedated to make life easier for overworked nursing home staff, and the government does little to protect vulnerable residents from such abuse," said
Using antipsychotic medications as a "chemical restraint" - for the convenience of staff or to discipline residents - violates federal regulations and can amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment under international human rights law. Yet even when nursing homes are found to have broken these rules, they are rarely punished.
The report is based on visits by
About 1.1 million people aged 65 and over lived in around 15,600 nursing facilities across the US in 2017. Medicaid, the main US public health insurance program for people with low incomes, which is jointly administered by the federal government and the states, is the primary payer for this form of long-term care.
Antipsychotic drugs were developed to treat psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia.
Federal regulations bar using the drugs without adequate indication for use or appropriate monitoring, and the Obama administration planned to strengthen regulations around their discretionary, "as needed" use. However, in
Nursing home residents and their families described the awful consequences, including sedation, fear, and frustration. A 62-year-old woman who said she was given Seroquel without her knowledge or consent at a nursing facility in
The use of antipsychotic drugs without permission from the resident or their proxy is common,
A former nursing home administrator in
The US government is failing to hold nursing homes to account for mistreating residents through the inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs,
The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 established strong legal protections of the rights of people in nursing homes; in practice
Some nursing homes have significantly reduced their use of antipsychotic drugs,
CMS and its state counterparts should strengthen their enforcement of federal regulations regarding antipsychotic drugs. Residents and their families should be told they have the right to be informed of their treatment alternatives and their right to refuse. The government should ensure nursing homes employ enough staff to provide adequate care.
"The US government pays nursing homes tens of billions of dollars per year to provide safe and appropriate care to residents," Flamm said. "Officials have a duty to ensure that these often vulnerable people are protected rather than abused."
Government of Canada Funds Flood Mitigation Project in Ontario
Twenty-Seven New Companies Approved to Conduct Insurance Related Business in Maryland in Second Half of 2017
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News