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Now more than ever it is important that we keep watch of our elderly; but also keep watch of those caring for them. It is sad to see homes resorting to these irresponsible action that effect more than just the patient. Hopefully more reports like this will lift the veil and action will be taken accordingly. – GWF
The following is an excerpt from a Washington Post article by Hannah Flamm, with a link to the full article:
It helps control the residents, and institutions are rarely punished.
A year and a half ago in a Texas nursing home, I met an 84-year-old resident with dementia named Felipa Natividad. Her sister, Aurora Suarez, told me that the staff dosed Natividad with Haldol, an antipsychotic drug, to ease the burden of bathing her. “They give my sister medication to sedate her on the days of her shower: Monday, Wednesday, Friday,” Suarez said. “They give her so much she sleeps through the lunch hour and supper.” A review of Natividad’s medical chart confirmed the schedule.
Suarez said she had given her consent to use the drugs because she feared that the staff would not bathe her sister enough if she refused. But when Suarez saw the effect they had, she had second thoughts. She expressed them to the nursing home, but Natividad was taken off the antipsychotics only after she was placed in hospice care. She died a few months after my interview. Her family, seeing her in a reduced state and unable to communicate, wondered whether the drugs had compounded the losses associated with dementia; Suarez thought they… [Continue to full article]