Advocacy, Antipsychotic drugs, Toward better care

10 seldom-mentioned “side effects” of using antipsychotics in long-term dementia care, which are also 10 more good reasons we should #BanBPSD

There are a tonne of reasons not to give antipsychotics to people who live with dementia. I’ve blogged about them here, here and here (among many other places). There are also a tonne of reasons why people are given antipsychotic medications in long-term care, most of which have something to do with their normal responses… Continue reading 10 seldom-mentioned “side effects” of using antipsychotics in long-term dementia care, which are also 10 more good reasons we should #BanBPSD

Advocacy, Antipsychotic drugs, Toward better care

30 haloperidol / haldol side effects

I advocate against the inappropriate use of antipsychotics in treating people who live with dementia because I have seen first hand the devastating impact these drugs can have. Sadly, many dementia care partners (including myself) have been forced to turn to medication out of desperation. In order to be be able to make an informed… Continue reading 30 haloperidol / haldol side effects

Advocacy, Antipsychotic drugs, Toward better care

40 risperdal side effects

I advocate against the inappropriate use of antipsychotics in treating people who live with dementia because I have seen first hand the devastating impact these drugs may have. Sadly, many dementia care partners are forced to turn to medication out of desperation. In order to be be able to make an informed decision, it’s important to… Continue reading 40 risperdal side effects

Advocacy, Antipsychotic drugs, Toward better care

40+ seroquel side effects

I advocate against the inappropriate use of antipsychotics in treating people who live with dementia because I have seen first hand the devastating impact these drugs can have. Sadly, many dementia care partners (including myself) have been forced to turn to medication out of desperation. In order to be be able to make an informed… Continue reading 40+ seroquel side effects

Advocacy, Antipsychotic drugs

find the lady in the lies: a shell game of side effects and suffering for the sake of antipsychotic sales

    “Three-card Monte” — also known as “Find the Lady” or the “Three-card Trick” — is the title of the fifth chapter of  healthcare activist and journalist Steven Brill’s unfolding “docubook”  on corporate behemoth Johnson & Johnson’s shell game of greed and justification with respect to the marketing of its antipsychotic medication Risperdal (risperidone).

Care Partnering, Resources, Toward better care

20 questions to ask when a care partner or resident walks around at night

My first few months as the full-time care partner to my mom while she was still living in her own home were difficult, mostly because I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I learned as I went, but it was a slow process, and some knowledge came too late to be of much… Continue reading 20 questions to ask when a care partner or resident walks around at night

Challenges & Solutions, Toward better care

dementia not the cause in majority of harmful resident-on-resident interactions

 “Senior with dementia guilty in death of nursing home resident,” the headline reads. The incidence of these kinds of tragedies seems to be on the rise, and they will continue to occur with increasing frequency if we don’t address the causes and find solutions. Unfortunately, by blaming dementia for behaviour that could be averted if… Continue reading dementia not the cause in majority of harmful resident-on-resident interactions

Advocacy, Antipsychotic drugs, NHBPS, Toward better care

president obama would probably be sedated

  “I’m awake anyway, ‘cause I gotta go to the bathroom,” US President Barack Obama quipped at the 2016 White House Correspondents’ dinner when he spoke about getting old, counting down the days to his ‘death panel,’ and being up at 3 a.m. (see the video clip below). The audience laughed. Why? Because even Presidents… Continue reading president obama would probably be sedated

Advocacy, Challenges & Solutions, Toward better care

7 reasons why physicians continue to prescribe antipsychotic drugs to people who live with dementia when they shouldn’t

There is irrefutable evidence that prescribing antipsychotic drugs to people who live with dementia does more harm than good in most cases. These drugs are NOT approved for use in dementia care in most countries. So why are physicians still prescribing these medications to people who live with dementia? Because physicians: are often pressured by… Continue reading 7 reasons why physicians continue to prescribe antipsychotic drugs to people who live with dementia when they shouldn’t

Advocacy, Real life, Toward better care

PR: should alzheimer’s advocates be doing it for #BIGpharma?

“It enrages, sickens and saddens me when I see Alzheimer’s Disease International promoting Eli Lilly and Janssen R&D/Johnson & Johnson,” I rant in an email to a fellow dementia care advocate/activist on the other side of the world. Half a planet separates us, but my gut tells me we’re on the same page. My gut… Continue reading PR: should alzheimer’s advocates be doing it for #BIGpharma?