By Colleen Quinn State House News Service BOSTON -- Nursing homes and long-term care facilities in Massachusetts would be required to receive informed written consent from a patient's family, guardian or health-care proxy if doctors prescribe psychotropic medications to a patient, under an amendment added to the Senate budget last week. Family members of those with dementia and Alzheimer's have pushed for years to have legislators strengthen laws around informed consent of anti-psychotic drugs for patients in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, arguing the drugs have unwanted side effects in dementia patients, including seizures. The drugs are overprescribed, often without a family's consent, as a way for nursing care staff to quell unwanted behavior among patients, they say. Alzheimer's Association of Massachusetts spokeswoman Betsy Campbell said the organization has been watching the use of these medications for years, and advocating for families to be informed when they are prescribed. Banker White, whose mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease at 61, said having discussions with his mother's doctor about her medication made all the difference. His mother, who lives in Dedham and is cared for by his father, was prescribed Risperadone, a psychotropic drug that was used to control violent episodes. White would like to see informed written consent be required. "There needs to be a real understanding of why they are being used; how they are being used, and there is a game plan in place," he said. Psychiatrists and nursing home operators say singling out anti-psychotic drugs for increased regulation would tie their hands in caring for patients. Doctors and caregivers say some patients need the drugs for depression, anxiety and other mental-health problems that often coincide with dementia. Dr. James Ellison, the director of the geriatric psychiatry at McLean Hospital in Belmont, said psychiatrists have concerns about consent requirements. Managing behavioral and psychiatric symptoms for patients with dementia is critical to caring for them and optimizing their quality of life, Ellison said. "It is problematic if that process becomes very cumbersome," he said.