A government audit has revealed that nearly one in seven elderly nursing home residents, nearly all suffering dementia are given antipsychotic drugs even though the medicines increase the risks of death and are not approved for such treatments. More than half of the antipsychotics paid for by Medicare in the...
Tag: drug abuse
Prescription Drug Use on the Rise
Nearly 90% of older adults reported taking at least one prescription drug in the past month, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which noted that prescription drug use overall is on the rise. In the last decade, the number of Americans taking one...
More Older People Abusing Drugs
Drug abuse treatment programs across the country are seeing more older users of illegal narcotics than ever before. According to a report from a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, admissions of adults aged 50 and older in drug treatment programs has nearly doubled over the last...
5% of Boomers Abusing Drugs
Health Day, citing a new government study, reports that almost 5 percent of aging Baby Boomers in the United States are abusing drugs. Approximately 4.3 million adults over the age of 50 are smoking marijuana, abusing prescription medication and engaging in other illicit drug activity. The driving force behind the...