We don't get to read a lot of good news where Alzheimer's disease and dementia are concerned. The trend lines are pretty grim.
More than 150,000 New Jersey residents are currently suffering from Alzheimer's. That figure is expected to climb to 170,000 by 2025. And that's before a wave of expected new cases as baby boomers reach their 80s.
But there was some good news recently, an indication that the nursing homes that take care of so many dementia and Alzheimer's patients are getting smarter about how they treat these patients. A federally funded pilot program produced a dramatic reduction in the use of antipsychotic drugs in treating such patients.
In the program, sponsored by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, six New Jersey nursing homes worked with nonprofit Healthcare Quality Strategies Inc. to find alternatives to drugging dementia patients.
While antipsychotic drugs are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for most dementia patients, they are often used to control behavior in nursing homes. They can calm patients who are agitated or hard to handle. But they frequently make these patients lethargic, and they increase the risk of strokes and death.
The CMS has set a national goal of reducing antipsychotic prescriptions by 15 percent. In the study, the use of these drugs dropped by 33 percent over a two-year period.
The success was attributed to a team approach, in which staff members, nurses, doctors and pharmacists worked together to develop alternative approaches and individual care plans for each patient.
One of the most effective alternatives was to give patients music. Prescriptions were dramatically reduced for many patients after they were given their favorite music on MP3 players.
Another successful strategy was exercise. Daily outdoor group walks resulted in a shift in patient behaviors and attitudes. For some, the alternate therapy was as simple as receiving hand massages.
The organizers of the pilot program told NJSpotlight.com[1] that the success of the therapies also had a positive effect on staff members at the nursing homes, who could see their efforts making a difference.
The drop in drug use at the nursing homes in the study far exceeded the 12 percent average decline in antipsychotic prescriptions at the state's 359 nursing homes in the same period.
This small study offers hope that a future of increased cases of dementia and Alzheimer's doesn't have to be a future of heavy sedation and warehoused patients.
© 2013 pressofAtlanticCity.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[2]
References
- ^ NJSpotlight.com (NJSpotlight.com)
- ^ © 2013 pressofAtlanticCity.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (www.pressofatlanticcity.com)
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