This has been going on for a long time. Seniors are be giving powerful anti-psychotic medications to control behaviors resulting from dementia. This is why Seniors need to have some kind of legal conservator or health care proxy to protect them when they cannot make decisions for themselves. Otherwise their families will have no power in the decision making process. Hospita's and healthcare providers actually use HIPPA regulations as a shield to keep families out of the process where families are concerned. It does not surprise me that this article says that a daughter was surprised to find out her father had been medicated with anti-psychotics without her permission. Unless she was his conservator or legal health care proxy the hospital and doctor didn't need her permission.
If he had a spouse that person could give the permission but it's often only explained as a way to "Help the patient relax". The implications of side effects and health risks are often only glossed over.
Most of the antipsychotics are specifically contraindicated for use in the Senior population. The fact is these medications often make AD and other non-specific dementias worse not better and can shorten the life span.
I even saw this in the psych hospital with Seniors admitted to for psychosis and medicated without a complete medical work-up to rule out a medical cause for their symptoms. In one case I suggest to the psychiatrist that something medical was going on. I based this on labs and a gut feeling I had. The Doctor scoffed at me. Refused to send him for a medical work up. Pumped the guy full of anti-psychotics. The poor man ended up with neuroleptic malignant syndrome and died three weeks later.
This one of the reasons I left acute psych.
Peace
hppy