Nursing Home Overprescribing Antipsychotic and Mistreatment Investigation

If you have been concerned with your loved one’s antipsychotic medication prescription or are concerned about changes in your loved one’s health or behavior since they entered a nursing home, we invite you to learn more.

We are currently investigating nursing homes that overprescribe antipsychotic drugs to their elderly patients. Federal agencies have found that more than a quarter of all nursing home patients are prescribed powerful antipsychotic medications such as Abilify, Clozaril, Geodon, Haldol, Risperdal, Seroquel, and Zyprexa.

If you have been concerned with your loved one’s antipsychotic medication prescription or are concerned about changes in your loved one’s health or behavior since they entered a nursing home, we invite you to learn more. Please click here for a free informational packet to learn more.

What You Need to Know

• Approximately 20% of all nursing home residents received an antipsychotic medication in 2019. In an average week, nursing homes administer antipsychotics to over 179,000 residents who should not receive them.
• 88% of the antipsychotics prescribed to nursing home residents were given to elderly patients with dementia. Antipsychotic drugs almost double the risk of death in elderly patients with dementia.
• Reports indicate that some nursing home facilities overprescribe antipsychotic medications to make residents easier to control, allowing facilities to reduce staffing costs.

The New York Times found that nursing homes with lower ratings, on average, prescribe more antipsychotic drugs than nursing homes with higher scores. While these ratings can be a valid indicator of the quality of a nursing home, nursing homes with high ratings can also overprescribe antipsychotics to nursing home residents.

Even though misuse of antipsychotics is unlawful and unethical, nursing homes frequently use antipsychotics as a “chemical straitjacket” to make residents easier to control. Some nursing homes sedate and immobilize elderly residents with these drugs so they can spend less on staffing. This is an abuse of the caregiver relationship, against the law, and very dangerous.

Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Has your loved one’s behavior changed since entering the nursing home?
2. Has your loved one’s health been declining since entering the nursing home?
3. Have you seen behavioral changes such as lethargy, confusion, reclusiveness, or sleeping for long periods of time?
4. Do you know what medications your loved one has been prescribed?
5. Have you seen a new or unusual diagnosis in your loved one’s medical chart?
6. Does the nursing home appear to be well-staffed and equipped to provide the care that the residents require?