MORE elderly people are being dosed up on powerful mood-altering drugs, according to a study that finds use of the drugs in some nursing homes has soared.
As police investigate allegations that residents of a NSW central coast nursing home were assaulted by staff, a study of nearly 2500 residents of 44 western Sydney nursing homes shows that nearly a quarter are taking antidepressants almost every day, up from 15 per cent in 1993.
The proportion on antipsychotics — powerful drugs normally used to treat serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia — rose from 22 per cent in 1998 to 28 per cent in 2009.
The expert who conducted the study has described the findings as mostly good news, because doctors had largely shifted to a newer generation of so-called “atypical” antipsychotics, and at lower doses, avoiding the unpleasant side-effects of older drugs, such as muscle stiffness.
But the figures have rekindled controversy among aged care groups, who say they fit with anecdotal reports suggesting continued use of a “chemical cosh” on residents who do not medically need them.
The statistics come amid a fresh scandal over residential care treatment, with NSW police and federal Health Department officials investigating allegations that residents of a Central Coast home were abused by staff, two of whom have been sacked.
One resident was allegedly denied food by staff at the William Cape Gardens home, and a worker allegedly photographed residents’ genitalia on a mobile phone and asked colleagues to guess which residents they belonged to, Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph reported.
The author of the drug usage study, aged care psychiatrist John Snowdon, said it could be “appropriate” to use antipsychotic drugs on patients with behaviour problems due to dementia, as there was “good evidence that they help reduce distress”.
But Lynda Saltarelli, spokeswoman for the senior citizens advocacy group Aged Care Crisis, said the group had been approached by nursing home staff and family members who believed residents were “over-medicated” in some cases due to staff shortages.
Adam Cresswell
The Australian