Dementia patients 'given chemical cosh'
Published on 21 February 2012 01:30 PM
Responding to a report that research by the University of Manchester survey has found that a quarter of older people with dementia that it surveyed were being given ‘chemical cosh' drugs, Age Cymru's Head of Policy and Public Affairs Graeme Francis says:
"It is very concerning to read allegations that anti-psychotic drugs - so-called ‘chemical cosh' drugs, are being prescribed to patients for two or more years in order to sedate them, when they are only meant to be taken for a maximum period of three months.
"In Wales, the Alzheimer's Society estimates that 37,000 people already suffering from dementia, and this number expected to rise by 35 per cent over the next 20 years.
"It is vital that we are in a position to provide appropriate and dignified treatment to people who have dementia but research into dementia and its causes has been severely underfunded over the years.
"Age Cymru feels the case for further research into the causes of dementia is clear and we want a commitment to provide more money for this purpose."