U.S. Senate Holds Hearing About Antipsychotic Misuse in Nursing Homes

On November 30, 2011, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a special hearing titled "Overprescribed: The Human and Taxpayers' Costs of Antipsychotics in Nursing Homes." The hearing follows a May 2011 Inspector General Report finding massive misuse of antipsychotic drugs to sedate and subdue residents with dementia. The Inspector General testified at the hearing, along with other long-term care experts who all agree that non-pharmacological options have been underused in dementia care and offer superior outcomes to antipsychotics.

Watch the hearing right now.

Read Staff Attorney Tony Chicotel's reaction to the hearing.

Read the panelists' official statements.