Drugs are widely used to sedate dementia patients. Her sons wanted to keep her off them

In December 2024, the adult sons of 85-year-old Marjorie Tingley received an urgent email from Vista Grande Villa, a Michigan senior living community. They were informed that their mother was considered a significant safety risk, as she had frequently assaulted, kicked, or elbowed aides while they tried to help her with personal tasks.

The facility requested permission to sedate Tingley. The Tingleys and the facility engaged in a heated dispute over the use of antipsychotic medications to control Tingley's aggressive behavior, a common issue in long-term care facilities. Despite a federal campaign to reduce the use of these medications, 1 in 4 Medicare beneficiaries with dementia are potentially overprescribed brain-altering drugs that can lead to delirium, falls, and hospitalizations.

The Tingleys alternately consented to and resisted the facility's insistence on medication, resulting in frequent calls to 911 and multiple emergency room visits. After four ER trips, Vista Grande Villa issued a 30-day eviction notice, and the facility sent Tingley to the hospital four times as the family sought alternative placement.

Her family filed a lawsuit alleging negligence, emotional distress, and wrongful eviction, claiming that Vista Grande Villa intentionally initiated the ER trips in retaliation for their disagreements over Tingley's care. The facility denied these allegations. Tingley passed away in January 2025 at another facility due to Alzheimer's disease, a leading cause of dementia.