DALLAS: Three out of four nursing home residents with dementia who are prescribed anti-psychotic drugs may not need them to stay calm, a new study has found.
At present, up to 30 per cent of dementia patients are given the medication to control aggressiveness and agitation.
Studies show taking the drugs long-term increases the risk of confusion, dizziness, over-sedation, falls and death.
Now a project from the University of New South Wales has tested whether behaviour could be controlled without drugs.