Antidementia Medication Use in Nursing Home Residents

Antidementia medication can provide symptomatic improvements in patients with Alzheimer's disease, but there is a lack of consensus guidance on when to start and stop treatment in the nursing home setting.

We describe utilization patterns of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) and memantine for 3,50,197 newly admitted NH residents with dementia between 2011 and 2018.

Overall, pre-admission use of antidementia medications declined from 2011 to 2018 (ChEIs: 44.5% to 36.9%; memantine: 27.4% to 23.2%). Older age, use of a feeding tube, and greater functional dependency were associated with lower odds of ChEI initiation. Coronary artery disease, parenteral nutrition, severe aggressive behaviors, severe cognitive impairment, and high functional dependency were associated with discontinuation of ChEIs. Comparison of clinical factors related to anti-dementia drug treatment changes from pre to post NH admission in 2011 and 2018 revealed a change toward lower likelihood of initiation of treatment among residents with more functional dependency and those with indicators of more complex illness as well as a change toward higher likelihood of discontinuation in residents having 2 or more hospital stays.

These prescribing trends highlight the need for additional research on the effects of initiating and discontinuing antidementia medications in the NH to provide clear guidance for clinicians when making treatment decisions for individual residents.