Studies into depression and agitation and aggression will play a key role in helping to reduce inappropriate prescriptions of antipsychotics for people with dementia.
The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and the Dementia Action Alliance have launched a call to action to work together to improve the quality of life of people with dementia and their carers by reducing the inappropriate use of antipsychotics for these people.
This dataset from the NHS Information Centre provides information about Primary Care Trust (PCT) prescribing data between January and March 2011.
The innovative approach means that new, better treatments could be available in just seven years, bringing hope to people with dementia and their carers.
Lithium treatment may slow the development of dementia, according to a study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry (Wednesday 27 April 2011).
The final NICE guidance means the drugs Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl will be available on prescription to people in the early and moderate stages of Alzheimer’s and Ebixa will be available to people in the late stages.
Sir Ian Carruthers, Chief Executive of NHS South West and Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Society recently wrote to SHA Chief Executives to invite their participation in work to accelerate improvements in local practice in prescribing antipsychotic drugs for people with dementia, which will be funded by the Department of Health.
Coombe End Court care home in Wiltshire has created a ‘time warp’ room that contains features from the 1950s to help aid the memories of Alzheimer’s patients.
Proposed guidelines say that hundreds of thousands more patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease should receive medications on prescription to lessen their symptoms.
The Government has outlines how it plans to take action on antipsychotic drugs and dementia in response to an independent review by Professor Sube Banerjee.