Health Dept. attempting to Improve Care for those Living with Dementia

The Tennessee Department of Health is working with partner agencies to improve care for those living with dementia. One vital part of this effort is the ongoing work to reduce unnecessary use of antipsychotic medications among residents living with dementia within Tennessee nursing homes. As a result of these efforts, Tennessee nursing homes have successfully reduced antipsychotic medication use to a rate of 15.7 percent of residents, moving Tennessee up from 49th to 29th in the nation for improvement in this area.
In 2012, Tennessee nursing homes had the highest antipsychotic drug use rate in the Southeast at 30.1 percent of residents, with the national average being 23.8 percent. Tennessee nursing homes have now successfully reduced that rate to 15.7 percent, dropping below the regional average of 15.9 percent.