'Zombie' 麻薬s shame our care homes

by BEEZY MARSH, Daily Mail

年輩の people living in care homes are nearly three times as likely to be given '化学製品 cosh' 麻薬s as those in the community, an alarming 報告（する）／憶測明らかにする／漏らすs today.

More than a ４半期/4分の1 of pensioners living in nursing homes are on powerful sedatives 非難するd for turning them into 'zombies'.

But 潜在的に致命的な条件s such as heart 病気 and 糖尿病 are more likely to go unchecked の中で those in care, the 報告（する）／憶測 says.

It 新たにするs 恐れるs that overstretched homes are 手渡すing out '化学製品 cosh' pills to 対処する with staff 不足s which are 危険ing the health of 年輩の people in their care.

研究員s from the University of Dundee 熟考する／考慮するd 698 Bristol pensioners and 設立する those living in nursing homes received worse 医療の care than those who were still in their own homes.

Their findings have 乱暴／暴力を加えるd charity 選挙運動者s, who say it is a degrading 違反 of human 権利s to give old people 不適切な医薬 just to keep them 静かな.

Annie Stevenson, 政策 officer for Help the 老年の, said: '医療の care for older people 一般に, and in care homes in particular, gives 原因（となる） for 深遠な関心. This is not just a "質 of care" 問題／発行する, but an age 差別 and a human 権利s 問題／発行する.'

全体にわたる, the 報告（する）／憶測設立する that prescription of 有益な麻薬s to all 患者s over the age of 65 was low. Only 38 per cent of those who had 苦しむd a heart attack had been given beta-blockers, which could 妨げる a その上の coronary.

にもかかわらず this, pensioners in care fared worse than those in 類似の health who lived at home supported by their GPs.

The 熟考する／考慮する, published in the British 医療の定期刊行物, 設立する that 28 per cent of pensioners in care were 定める／命ずるd anti-psychotic 麻薬s - which have a powerful sedative 影響 - compared with only 11 per cent in the community.

Almost 40 per cent of 居住（者）s were given laxatives, compared with 16 per cent of those living at home - 主要な to 恐れるs that 薬／医学s are 存在 inappropriately 手渡すd out.

決定的な health checks for those with an 存在するing 医療の条件 such as heart 病気 and 糖尿病 were not たびたび（訪れる） enough in nursing homes. Only 74 per cent of 居住（者）s with heart 病気 had had their 血圧力手段d in the past two years, compared with 96 per cent of those living in their own home.

The picture was even more grim for 糖尿病苦しんでいる人s. Just 62 per cent of those in care had had their 血圧力 checked, compared with 96 per cent in the community.

The 報告（する）／憶測's lead author, Professor Tom Fahey, said: 'Our 熟考する／考慮する has 確認するd suggestions of 不適切な麻薬 use in 年輩の people, 特に those in nursing homes. 追加するd to the fact that nursing home 居住（者）s received on 普通の／平均（する） more 麻薬治療 than those living at home, 関心s about overprescription of 不適切な麻薬s seem more likely in relation to nursing home 居住（者）s.'

Last night, Paul Burstow, 自由主義の民主党員広報担当者 for older people, said: 'Overmedication can 原因（となる） premature death, and it can 否定する people their dignity, turning them into zombies. 連続する政府s have failed to 取り組む this 乱用 of 攻撃を受けやすい年輩の people. This is 簡単に not good enough.'

The 報告（する）／憶測 comes just three weeks after a 熟考する／考慮する by the 臨床の Age 研究部隊 of Kings and St Thomas's School of 薬／医学 in London 設立する care home 居住（者）s were 存在定める／命ずるd powerful tranquillisers to make life easier for staff.