February 23, 2022 – Inappropriate antipsychotic (AP) drugging is a pervasive problem in nursing homes across New York State, with nearly one in five residents receiving AP drugs, most without clinical justification. Too often, these highly potent drugs are used to sedate residents, even though they are not clinically indicated for treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Residents receiving AP drugs often suffer socially and emotionally while facing increased risk of stroke, heart attack, diabetes, Parkinsonism, and falls.

LTCCC’s new antipsychotic drugging data on New York nursing homes (Q2 2021) show that AP drugs are being administered to 18.4% of the state’s nursing homes residents – roughly 10x the rate of the population that will ever have a diagnosis qualifying for potentially appropriate use.

The dataset includes important information on antipsychotic drugging rates for New York’s nursing home. It also includes information on ownership type, federal rating, and staffing levels for most NY nursing homes. Data can be sorted and filtered to assess nursing homes with different characteristics. (i.e., non-profit nursing homes in Putnam County). This information will enable the public to better identify and assess relevant quality and safety issues for the nursing homes in their communities.

Selected Highlights (NY)

• Nearly 1 in 5 of New York’s residents (18.4%) received APs in Q2 2021 (US rate: 21.3%). Of the NY residents receiving APs, 84.8% receive them daily.
• AP drugging rates are higher in for-profit nursing homes (19.9%) than non-profit (15.3%) and government (16.2%) nursing homes.
• AP drugging rates are higher in 1-star nursing homes (24.8%) compared to 5-star nursing homes (13.4%).

For AP drugging rates in other states, visit https://nursinghome411.org/ap-drug-q2-2021/. Data from previous quarters are available at http://nursinghome411.org/ap-drugs.

Did You Know: New York state nursing homes are rarely cited for inappropriate drugging, averaging just four inappropriate drugging (AP) citations per year for every 1,000 residents reported to be receiving antipsychotics, ranking 43rd among US states. Learn more about AP drugging enforcement in LTCCC’s new report on nursing home oversight.

Stay informed: Check out LTCCC’s Dementia Care Advocacy Toolkit for free resources to help families, and those who work with them, know their rights and advocate for less drugging and better care for their residents with dementia.