Dementia Patient Medication Use: A Michigan Case Study

Why it matters locally: While this case study focuses on Michigan, the federal efforts to reduce sedating medication use for dementia patients in long-term care facilities would apply to similar facilities throughout New Mexico.

Long-term care facilities frequently use sedating medications for agitated individuals diagnosed with dementia. Federal efforts aim to reduce the use of these medications. A specific situation involving a Michigan woman named Marjorie Tingley illustrates the choices families and guardians encounter in such circumstances. Her sons sought to prevent the administration of these medications to her.