There's No Excuse for Overmedicating the Elderly

The elderly in nursing homes have long been treated poorly, as so many guilty adult children (cf. The Savages) can attest. But because of societal prejudices and pervasive ageism, little attention has been paid by the mainstream media. Now, however, one of the most popular stories on the New York Times' website is Doctors Say Medication Is Overused in Dementia. It's long overdue.

I admit I have a personal interest in this subject. When my grandmother was in her nursing home, a place that was supposedly upper-crust, she alleged she was being given pills -- sedatives, perhaps? -- that weren't explicitly prescribed for her. She was lucid and didn't suffer from dementia, but found herself increasingly foggy in the home. Her allegations were confusing to us. Were they evidence of age-related senility? Were they true? If they were true, what was the proper course of action? Not long after she made the claims, she stopped eating. And not long after that, she passed away -- my beloved friend and ally -- because she starved herself.

The question of overprescribing, of course, was moot.

But people like my grandmother are perfect targets for an overzealous Big Pharma industry. From the article in the Times:

The use of antipsychotic drugs to tamp down the agitation, combative behavior and outbursts of dementia patients has soared, especially in the elderly. Sales of newer antipsychotics like Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa totaled $13.1 billion in 2007, up from $4 billion in 2000, according to IMS Health, a health care information company.

Part of this increase can be traced to prescriptions in nursing homes. Researchers estimate that about a third of all nursing home patients have been given antipsychotic drugs.

The increases continue despite a drumbeat of bad publicity. A 2006 study of Alzheimer's patients found that for most patients, antipsychotics provided no significant improvement over placebos in treating aggression and delusions.

This echoes other research about the use of antipsychotics.

I know the elderly isn't anyone's target demographic. I know we value children more because they represent the future. But I refuse to consign anyone to the past. It's never acceptable to be finished with another human being.

[Photo by Miguel A. Lopes "Migufu" via Flickr.]