Hear Deborah’s Testimony At The Public Hearing For Assemblyman Richard Gottfried

Each day in New York State, nearly one in five nursing home residents is medicated with powerful and dangerous antipsychotic drugs as a form of chemical restraint, according to data from the federal Nursing Home Compare website.

A recent report by the Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC), an advocacy group for the elderly and disabled, shows alarming above – average antipsychotic drug usage rates in some regions of the state and in many nursing homes. Some nursing homes were found to medicate 50% or more of their residents — after adjusting the data to exclude residents with diagnoses for which the drug would be medically appropriate.

The purpose of this hearing is to give representatives of residents, families, advocates and providers the opportunity to voice their observations and recommendations in relation to the appropriate and inappropriate use of these drugs.

It is expected that some testimony may reach into other areas of nursing home care that influence prescribing patterns, such as staffing, activities, visitation and meal preparation. However, for the purpose of this hearing, witnesses are asked to confine their observations to those that are germane to the issue of antipsychotic medication.