Elderly patients in a chemical straitjacket

I read the opinion piece headlined ‘Nursing home scandal - elderly being demeaned by the State’ (Irish Examiner, December 20), revealing another shameful aspect of the State’s treatment of our vulnerable elderly people.

The illegal taking of their money and the charges imposed for incontinence wear by the Southern Health Board are despicable acts.

But there is another aspect of the ill treatment of the elderly in nursing homes that needs to be highlighted. Some are being prescribed ‘anti-psychotic’ drugs. In early 2004, the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) strongly recommended that one particular ‘anti-psychotic’ should not be used for dementia sufferers because of the risks of stroke and fatalities.