Older Australians with dementia should be treated with respect and dignity at all times by the aged
care sector, says seniors advocate COTA Australia.
Last night’s ABC Lateline program reported an Alzheimer’s Australia study finding about 140,000
people in residential care ‐ nearly half of all people in residential care and up to 80% of people with
dementia ‐ are being sedated and restrained with drugs, and between 12 % up to 49% have physical
restraints used on them regularly.
COTA Australia Chief Executive Ian Yates said this raised serious questions about care practices and
environments as it is clear sedation and restraint are being used inappropriately far too often.
“Clearly in far too many cases psychotropic medications and physical restraints are the first line of
response to the challenging behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia despite there being
a range of other effective means of treatment for people with dementia symptoms,” Mr Yates said
today.
“Antipsychotic drugs are a sedative and, while there are some benefits in their use, they should only
be used in the short‐term.
“Rather than using heavy drugs long‐term, often to ease symptoms such as pain and loneliness, aged
care providers should be turning to other approaches which have been proven to work.
“There is a wide range of environmental, strength‐promoting, surveillance and activity‐based
alternatives to using restraints.
“Indeed the excessive use of restraint is often evidence of the failure of aged care providers to
provide high quality supportive care environments for people with challenging behaviour.
“More than 70% of people in residential care today have dementia, with the number set to grow as
the population ages. By 2050, it’s estimated close to one million Australians will live with dementia.
“COTA supports Alzheimer’s Australia recommendation that the Commonwealth Government
develop a multifaceted strategy to reduce chemical and physical restraint as part of its action to build
on the 2012 Aged Care Reforms.
Media contact: Ian Yates 0418 835 439, Jane Garcia 0434 489 533