Author Archives: admin

by Michael Connors, Advocate With great support from CANHR and many other advocates, CMS published regulations in October 2011 proposing to require nursing home consultant pharmacists to be independent from long term care pharmacies. CMS then explained that new requirements … Continue reading →

By Michael Connors, CANHR Advocate Hard to believe but true, Henry Dreher, a 94 year-old nursing home resident, is the latest internet sensation. Until recently, Henry was increasingly withdrawn and communicated little in the nursing home memory care unit where … Continue reading →

by Michael Connors, CANHR Advocate On October 1, 2011, Medi-Cal implemented a little-publicized new policy requiring skilled nursing facilities to jump through new hoops before Medi-Cal will pay for the use of antipsychotic drugs prescribed for residents. The policy establishes … Continue reading →

by Michael Connors, CANHR Advocate The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it is developing a national action plan to protect nursing home residents from unnecessary antipsychotic drug use and to improve dementia care. CMS is … Continue reading →

by Michael Connors, CANHR Advocate A Harvard Medical School study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on February 23, 2012 reports that U.S. nursing home residents who took Haldol had double the risk of death as those who took … Continue reading →

by Mike Connors, CANHR Advocate Congressional hearings sometimes come and go with little effect, but November’s U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on the misuse of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes is giving a major boost to the least … Continue reading →

Looking to help protect nursing home residents from chemical restraints? There is a great, easy opportunity to do so this week, courtesy of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care. In response to proposed federal regulations that would … Continue reading →

By Michael Connors, CANHR Advocate It is instructive to look at what other nations are doing to protect people who have dementia from chemical restraint. This is a hot issue in Britain, where advocacy efforts to stop the drugging of … Continue reading →

By Michael Connors, CANHR Advocate Daniel Levinson, the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, proved again this week that he will help lead the fight against the widespread chemical restraint of nursing home residents. On … Continue reading →

By Mike Connors, CANHR Advocate In a certain sign that nursing homes are beginning to worry about their indiscriminate drugging practices, a California nursing home association launched a new web page last week that denies residents are being inappropriately drugged. … Continue reading →