Manitoba’s Liberal Leader, Jon Gerrard, wants the province to take a good look at what the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy at the University of Manitoba has found in a new study.
The most troubling part is the study’s conclusion that “The use of second generation antipsychotics (…) in older adults in Manitoba is increasing and is especially high in residents of personal care homes.”
"This is a group of drugs associated with increased falls, increased strokes and death among the elderly," said Gerrard. "I’m very concerned that these drugs are being used in a way to control behaviors and restrain people chemically."
The use of such drugs has risen from 2% to 27% in the last decade, while the prescription of older, first-generation antipsychotic drugs has declined.
The statistics don’t surprise Dwight Wood.
His 81-year old mother, who suffers from dementia, has been on a flurry of antipsychotics for ten years while in a care home.
"There were cases where my mom was on three or four different kinds, sometimes three times a day," said Wood.
The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Colette Raymond, says health care providers need to start looking for opportunities to decrease doses.
"Our optimal prescribing would be to minimize these drugs where possible,” said Raymond.
But that’s a decision Manitoba’s Health Minister, Theresa Oswald, will leave to health professionals.
"The decision about the prescribing of medication is between the doctor, patient and families,” said Oswald. “And medical histories would be taken into account.”
Wood isn’t so sure, so he’s keeping a close eye on what his mother is being given.
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