Care homes ‘resort’ to anti-psychotics for some residents

A new study has indicated that some people are given anti-psychotic medicine in nursing homes because of poor resources and a lack of training by those providing care.

The study, led by Kieran Walsh of the Centre for Gerontology and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University College Cork, looked at the determinants of appropriate, evidence-based, anti-psychotic prescribing behaviours for nursing home residents with dementia, based on a sample of 27 participants from four nursing homes involved in the care of residents.