Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD, was awarded pilot funding from the US Deprescribing Research Network to study deprescribing bisphosphonates in nursing home residents with dementia. This pilot project will lay the foundation for further explorations of caregiver and provider perspectives and the implications of deprescribing for clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness in older nursing home residents with dementia.

“More than half of older adults are exposed to polypharmacy and the unfortunate thing is that those people are more susceptible to the side effects and they’re more vulnerable to drug-drug interactions. It’s important for physicians, patients, and caregivers to realistically discuss the benefits a medication can and can’t provide, and to have a plan for de-escalating or stopping certain medications.”