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

The Senate Committee on Aging recently 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.

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

Read the panelists’ official statements.