Behavioral Therapy Helps More Than Drugs For Dementia Patients [NPR.org]

Samantha Sangenito 3/6/1512:00 PM

When we think of Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, we think of the loss of memory or the inability to recognize familiar faces, places, and things. But for caregivers, the bigger challenge often is coping with the other behaviors common in dementia: wandering, sleeplessness and anxiety or aggression.

Using antipsychotic drugs to try to ameliorate these symptoms has been common. According to a report released Monday from the Government Accountability Office, 1 in 3 dementia patients in nursing homes receives antipsychotics. Outside of nursing homes, 1 in 7 dementia patients are prescribed the drugs.

This is despite a warning from the Food and Drug Administration saying that antipsychotics increase the risk of death for people with dementia.

[For more of this story, written by Ina Jaffe, go to http://www.npr.org/blogs/healt...elps-more-than-drugs]

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Robert OlcottMember

During the active life of the National Health Planning and Resources Development Act of 1974, "Consumer Majorities" were required on all state, regional, and local Health planning and resource development boards. While our "consumer input" wouldn't necessarily change how health insurers decided whether to pay for certain treatments, like the Behavioral Therapy this article addresses, at least Consumer input, could show what services were needed. An evidence base, might be developed, showing health insurance companies which treatments were effective at ameliorating certain conditions. And the "golden years" of people's lives, wouldn't have to be spent in nursing homes with no other choice of health care treatment than antipsychotic medication.

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