From HelloCare: “‘The benzodiazepines, especially, suppress respiratory function, so it makes sense if you have a primarily respiratory disease (such as COVID-19) and youâre taking medication that further depresses your ability to breathe, thatâs going to worsen the outcome of someone affected with COVID-19 in residential care, or anywhere,’ [ Macfarlane] said.
Dr Macfarlaneâs comments echo those of his colleague, Colm Cunningham, director of The Dementia Centre, who wrote recently about support for people living with dementia during the pandemic.
‘The use of medications that might cause respiratory depression or render a person immobile is likely to lead to an adverse outcome for that resident,’ he wrote.”
