THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!!

It's a chilling reality. Assisted living medication overuse is more common than you might think.

It's easy to assume our loved ones in assisted living facilities are receiving the best possible care, but the truth can be much more complicated, and the numbers are truly alarming.

Recently, I had a conversation with the CEO of a company that creates software that manages patient medications in assisted living homes.

What he revealed about assisted living medication overuse was shocking, even for someone like myself who deals with health and wellness daily.

The Alarming Reality of Medication Overuse

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the software company shared a disturbing discovery. One resident was prescribed an astonishing 91 medications.

The average across their sample of residents was 48 different medications. These numbers paint a bleak picture and made me question the standard care that these individuals get.

It is easy to imagine the logistical nightmare for caregivers managing dozens of prescriptions for multiple residents, each with their own schedules and needs. The sheer complexity is mind-boggling.

The Domino Effect of Side Effects

Many prescription medications are used to treat ailments that arise because of poor lifestyle choices, most typically people's diets.

These same drugs frequently cause a host of new issues that need, you guessed it, additional medications.

Common medication errors include the wrong dosage or even the wrong medication entirely. This system sustains a cycle.

More medications treat symptoms but fail to address root causes. With proper nutrition and healthy living, though, you could view these conditions in a much more manageable light.

Dementia and Medication: A Costly Connection

One of the most common conditions among assisted living facility residents is dementia, present in 42% of residents.

The financial burden of dementia care is significant; the lifetime cost can range from $800,000 to $1.5 million per person.

These expenses add up for both families and taxpayers. The question becomes whether some people truly get past needing full-time care.

One facility mentioned in our discussion had nine former residents move back home due to health improvements—people moved home.

The Role of Diet in Assisted Living Medication Overuse

So, what exactly is the standard care at these facilities? And what could facilities possibly be feeding people to result in residents requiring an average of 48 different medications apiece?

The typical diet in assisted living facilities, hospitals, and even schools is, sadly, very poor. It comes straight from government agency sources, frequently stemming from guidelines set by the FDA and CDC.

They promote ultra-processed foods that, unsurprisingly, lead to increased use of medication to deal with ailments caused by a poor diet in the first place.

Committee members responsible for dietary guidelines have made it pretty clear, stating there is no evidence linking ultra-processed foods to health.

But the real-world consequences of these food guidelines, introduced in the 1970s, speak volumes. This can lead to an increased risk of health problems in older adults.

Challenging the Current System

The system prioritizes medication over other alternatives like nutrition or holistic wellness. This happens from a place of litigation as opposed to wellness.

Doctors who try alternatives risk legal action if something goes wrong, leading to an environment where staff members may be hesitant to explore non-pharmaceutical interventions.

One man who got his health sorted was walking around an apartment with his dog - Someone on over 90 different prescriptions.

With the support of his dog and taking walks by himself. A great story of getting rid of ailments to allow that kind of dramatic turnaround.

A Glimmer of Hope: Hale's Success Story

I saw firsthand that change is possible. One facility owner named Hale decided to do his own thing, bucking the norm by using a nutrition-focused, whole-food approach.

They had a huge emphasis on cutting sugar out of diets, with their goal being reducing medication reliance.

The results are fantastic. Hale's residents went from an average of 47 medications down to just 25, marking a 47% decrease.

Seeing such significant reductions in medication reliance through diet, a commitment to a healthy lifestyle, and taking ownership of their health shows success can follow the pursuit.

How Diet Changes Impacted Cognitive Function

Hale didn't just help his people; he brought them around to be more aware. Hale showed people to be fully conscious of the impact a poor diet could have, even the quality of living dramatically shifted.

Cognitive conditions including memory significantly improved. Improvements were also noticed in his people's cognitive evaluation scores.

His commitment to improving their health through dietary changes led to nine of his residents returning home, a story many have not had.

I decided to offer the Body Type Consultation to understand individual health challenges and responses to the Ketogenic Diet.

Why are doctors prescribing so many medications?

It is easy to consider how and why doctors are prescribing so many medications. With legal issues surrounding taking any risks on recommending patients deviate from known medicines or taking care of ailments in other ways.

Many nursing homes face the threat of wrongful death lawsuits if medical malpractice occurs. It becomes too big of a risk.

Recommending care that includes changing people's lifestyles, like nutrition habits or stopping specific medications, becomes risky.

Any negative medical outcome falling on the doctor's shoulders who tried something a bit different.

Changing the very guidelines followed by doctors everywhere becomes critical to seeing true change across all living communities and areas like schools.

The overuse of antipsychotic medications is a major concern, often used as a form of chemical restraint.

The Need for a Systemic Shift

The reality is the current medical approach to assisted living medication overuse is still centered around medicine, almost never natural methods like the one employed at Hale's Assisted Living Homes.

Skilled attorneys are often needed to address cases of elder abuse related to medication. Imagine a doctor giving up profits, deciding that lifestyle choices like a quality diet were used first.

Then, all of those things need addressing. We might witness a decrease in medication usage - a move away from the idea of just giving people as much medicine as possible.

Moving Beyond Symptom Management

Imagine someone is in assisted living for help and ends up getting over 90 different prescriptions, or even worse, imagine it's your loved one.

People who enter assisted living do so due to failing health. What is going to become of someone already ailing entering a world that offers almost 50 medications on average as care?

Medications are for treating side effects of poor living but don't really resolve those ailments. Just an attempt to give you new problems in lieu of your other problems with hopes of a manageable trade.

We're looking for a way to handle symptoms but not dealing with what is giving rise to them.

Embracing Lifestyle and Nutrition Changes

Think about your health - Are your diet and exercise on point? Do you use your current state to determine a need to change your lifestyle?

Doing this can help prevent needing the use of any care in old age, let alone that much medication.

We help thousands of people to gain their best results by guiding their nutritional needs. We get the Electrolytes Powder for use as a foundation.

Pharmaceutical companies often prioritize profit over patient well-being, contributing to the overprescription crisis.

Conclusion

Medication in care environments comes up constantly. It's important we consider the impacts of facilities overmedicating residents in a dangerous manner.

We spoke about someone who prescribed an astonishing 91 medications. Assisted living medication overuse numbers highlight a serious problem, requiring us to take a closer look at how we manage health in these facilities.

The situation with people who need so many medications simply highlights that. It emphasizes an ongoing dependence on medication instead of addressing ailments from the beginning with basic decisions and approaches.

Seeing the incredible outcomes at Hale's place helps get the word out about assisted living communities. These communities are giving nutritional solutions that change conditions.

FAQs about assisted living medication overuse

What are the downsides of assisted living?

There are various potential negatives, depending on individual circumstances and the particular institution. There are large sums of money needed for entry, and it is hard to really determine how much someone will like the transition.

Another major possible downside is assisted living medication overuse. Someone coming to a new living space may not be in the position to make sure their care includes everything necessary to live healthily, physically and mentally.

What to do when an elderly parent forgets to take medication?

Someone elderly failing to keep on their prescriptions comes up quite a bit. A proper structure set in place helps people to easily remember or for them to remember and follow instructions properly.

Some techniques involve basic habits like storing things in one place so the routine of finding what is needed doesn't confuse people, with their medicine easily accessible, like pill organizers, schedules, reminder phone calls or apps.

What are medication errors in assisted living?

Medication problems come up a fair bit. Some common problems are someone taking medicine at improper times and not storing or preparing their medications properly.

Or, giving someone medication at the wrong dose, including far too often.

The issue of medications that conflict with each other potentially getting prescribed also commonly pops up, and this gets us into the idea of assisted living medication overuse.

These problems range from things like skipping medications by accident to staff giving people prescriptions for things they do not need.

Or worse, giving medicine intended for one resident and handing it off to a resident where its not part of their regular medications

How long does it take for the elderly to adjust to assisted living?

Moving takes effort from someone at any age; imagine yourself with an elderly frame of mind, needing additional support for something. Now imagine a full transition - It is likely more difficult: new location, new community, everything.

 The change may feel daunting; it commonly gets reported as needing somewhere between 3 and 6 months for things to normalize.

Although, of course it will depend on the individuals personal experiences before they changed homes.

Consider the amount of different types of medicine prescribed, like someone having over 90 prescriptions, and also getting acclimated with the area.

This could potentially add difficulty, with a place that leans more into medicine and less into healthy choices.