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Common Hospice Meds Increase Death Risk For Alzheimer's, Dementia Patients
New benzodiazepine or antipsychotic prescriptions in hospice dementia patients increased 180-day mortality risk by up to 41%, highlighting medication safety concerns.
- October 15, 2025 researchers led by Lauren Gerlach found Medicare fee-for-service nursing home residents newly enrolled in hospice who started benzodiazepines or antipsychotics faced higher 180-day mortality, with HR 1.41 and 1.16 respectively.
- Gerlach and colleagues examined Medicare fee-for-service claims from 2014–2018 for over 100 nursing home residents with dementia newly enrolled in hospice who had no prior benzodiazepine or antipsychotic use.
- Data show steep mortality differences by 180 days: 73.58% of patients receiving benzodiazepines died versus 58.3% of nonusers, and drugs started a median 3 days after enrollment.
- The study's authors called for stronger quality measures for dementia-specific hospice as dementia is now the most common hospice condition, yet nearly one in five patients outlive eligibility, Gerlach said.
- Broader trends and data gaps mean further research is needed as dementia's share of hospice admissions rose to 25% in 2023, but findings are limited to Medicare fee-for-service nursing home population.
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Anti-Aging, Acupuncture and Health NewsBenzodiazepines, Antipsychotics Raise Mortality Risk for Some Dementia Patients
(MedPage Today) -- Older adults with Alzheimer's disease or dementia who were newly prescribed benzodiazepines or antipsychotic drugs in hospice had higher mortality than those who didn't get the drugs, a case-control analysis of Medicare claims...
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources20
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution46% Left, 45% Center
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources lean Left, 45% of the sources are Center
46% Left
L 46%
C 45%
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