Should nursing homes give high doses of sleeping pills and tranquilizers to dementia patients, so they will stop screaming for a nurse?

Our nursing home forced my mother with dementia to an in-patient psychiatric hospital to get her medicine set at a level that would control her agitation and aggressiveness. Sadly, while in the hospital, she inhaled vomit and almost died. The medical trauma advanced her dementia and now she barely needs any medication because she's lost so much of her mental capacity. It's a sad story and I feel nursing homes have way too much power over their residents. Our hands were tied. She was either sent to a psychiatric hospital or she would have to leave the nursing home.

Excellent answer. I finally got a Dr. to listen to what I was saying. Mom was in pain, was screaming, being combative and then depressed as well. They kept upping her morphine and adding many different anti-psychotics. I started to keep a log of exactly when she started these behaviors and when they were not effecting her. The Dr. listened and removed some meds and added a new one and my mom is back!!!! I don't know how long this new med will continue to give us the right response, but I am eating up every minute of having my mom back! Good luck!

This is so difficult for everyone. You mother can't control her screaming (this is not unusual). Drugs to calm her are really the only option and they often do make people too sleepy. Some homes will use more medication to control the screaming, and some will not for the reason you mentioned.

Perhaps there are different drugs they could try? You can see that it's difficult for the other residents to hear your mother screaming, yet you rightly don't want her over drugged. If there is a good answer for everyone here, I don't know what it is. But trying other meds may be useful.

Carol