In an article that recently appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a local newspaper here in Milwaukee, it was revealed that police were dispatched to nursing homes more than 380 times during the first half of 2010 for incidents related to resident behavior.

In 14 of these cases, residents were placed under emergency detention under Chapter 51.15, which allows police to place individuals into custody if they show signs of hurting themselves or others.

In some cases, nursing homes even filed charges against residents. These incidents reflect problems in how nursing homes are handling patients who have Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, who do not have control over their sometimes violent behavior.

According to Stephanie Sue Stein, director of the Milwaukee County Department on Aging, "these numbers are outrageous."

The figures come from a report, titled "Handcuffed," by the Alzheimer's Challenging Behaviors Task Force, formed in Milwaukee this year after the death of local Alzheimer's patient Richard Petersen. Petersen's story was chronicled in another Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article in March.

Peterson, who "exhibited symptoms that included irritability, yelling, and hitting," was moved between several hospitals because of his disease-related violent behaviors. After being placed under emergency detention, Petersen was sent to a locked mental health facility against the wishes of his family, where he did not receive the treatment and care options he needed. His family struggled to have him removed from the facility, but was unable to succeed due to the limitations of his detention, until he contracted pneumonia and his condition worsened. He was eventually rushed to another hospital, where he died.

"We see this situation more often than we would like to," said Stein.

The Milwaukee task force consists of more than 100 members who represent organizations including nursing homes, hospitals, behavior health facilities, public and private psychiatric hospitals, and the Milwaukee Police Department. The task force aims to improve care for those with Alzheimer's and related dementias.

Included in the task force is Christine Kovach, a professor in the college of nursing at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee. She presented some of the task force findings in a testimony at a US Senate Forum titled "Until There's a Cure: How to Help Alzheimer's Patients and Families NOW," which was led by US Senator Herb Kohl on December 8. The forum focused on how to improve care for Alzheimer's patients. You can view the forum in its entirety (about two hours) on the US Senate Special Committee on Aging website.

Clearly, there needs to be more training in the area of Alzheimer's care. In fact, in its report, the Alzheimer's Challenging Behaviors Task Force specifically recommends more "training for family members, nursing home staff and emergency responders, including police, in an effort to better care for Alzheimer's patients while also paying particular attention to pain management."

Read more about Alzheimer's care training on our Knowledge Base page.