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Nursing Homes Significantly Reduce Rate of Antipsychotic Drug Use

The state's nursing homes and elder care facilities are improving, according to a new study.
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North Carolina has reduced its rate of antipsychotic drug use in nursing homes by 23 percent over the last year-- that's the highest such improvement rate in the country.

Many nursing homes and adult care homes have been known to use antipsychotic drugs to help calm and control residents who have dementia. But overmedication can cause all sorts of problems for patients who are so drugged they can't participate in activities and who might fall because the drugs impair their coordination. Bob Konrad is a professor in health policy at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Public Health.
"There are a lot of different alternatives that can be used, but they all sort of involve well-trained staff that pay close attention and build strong relationships with the residents," says Konrad.

The alternatives include music therapy and massages for agitated patients.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services track the rate of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes, but not in adult care or rest homes.

Jessica Jones covers both the legislature in Raleigh and politics across the state. Before her current assignment, Jessica was given the responsibility to open up WUNC's first Greensboro Bureau at the Triad Stage in 2009. She's a seasoned public radio reporter who's covered everything from education to immigration, and she's a regular contributor to NPR's news programs. Jessica started her career in journalism in Egypt, where she freelanced for international print and radio outlets. After stints in Washington, D.C. with Voice of America and NPR, Jessica joined the staff of WUNC in 1999. She is a graduate of Yale University.
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