Antipsychotic Use in Older Adults With Dementia: Community and Nursing Facility Trends in Texas, 2015-2020.

Objectives: To assess recent trends in antipsychotic use among older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRDs) according to their residential status and determine the factors associated with the use of antipsychotics.

Design: Population-based, cross-sectional study using Texas Medicare Fee-for-Service data.

Setting and participants: Individuals ≥ 65 years of age with ADRDs who had at least 3 months of Medicare Part A and B, and Part D for prescription drug coverage, in any year between 2015 and 2020.

Methods: Temporal trends for antipsychotic use were reported by calendar year, and the associations between antipsychotic use and potential predictors were assessed overall and by residential status.

Results: Among an annual average of 161,848 older adults with ADRDs (median age, 82 years; 64.8% female), overall antipsychotic use decreased by 25.8%, from 14.5% in 2015 to 10.8% in 2020. The decline was primarily observed among those with any nursing facility (NF) residence, where use dropped from 22.1% to 12.4%, whereas community-dwelling individuals maintained a steady rate of approximately 10%. Factors associated with increased antipsychotic use included male sex, Black and Hispanic individuals, dual eligibility, Alzheimer's disease, emergency department visits, hospitalization, depression, and anxiety disorders. However, these associations varied across residential statuses. Older age was more strongly associated with decreased antipsychotic use among those with NF residence than those in the community. Compared with White individuals, Black individuals were more likely to receive antipsychotics in the community, whereas Hispanic and Asian individuals were more likely to receive antipsychotics among those with NF residence.

Conclusions and implications: Although antipsychotic use substantially decreased among those with NF residence, it remained steady among community-dwelling individuals. Given that two-thirds of individuals with dementia reside in the community, more attention is needed to understand antipsychotic use in this population.