Via: Senior Housing News
When it comes to memory care, senior living providers are taking a hard look at how to reduce the number of medications that residents are taking.
This is in part because of a years-long push among providers and other stakeholders to reduce the use of antipsychotic medications, which may have serious negative consequences for seniors with dementia, including an increased risk of death. Comprehensive new regulations for the skilled nursing sector recently proposed by the government also would formally require certain best practices to bring down antipsychotic usage.
Almost all people suffering from dementia (90%) will exhibit behavioral or psychological symptoms, according to the United Kingdom-based Alzheimer’s Society. Where once patients may have been given medication automatically to reduce challenging behaviors like agitation, anxiety and aggression, more operators in senior living settings are pushing for different methods. Engagement is the name of the game for dementia caregivers.
Enter innovation. Here are three examples of how cutting-edge providers are already helping reduce medication use in memory care:
