By COLLEEN CREAMER
For VerusMed
Pharmacotherapy experts in the field of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) strongly recommend making a diagnosis as early as possible, helping the patient or family implement good long-term care support and reassessing a patient’s progress frequently.
The diagnosis of AD is complicated by several factors, including other possible causes of dementia and a spouse’s reluctance to be forthcoming about a loved one’s condition. As a result, physicians need to be vigilant in recognizing the early warning signs, such as mood or personality changes; ruling out other causes of dementia, such as specific medications or other health conditions; and making a diagnosis as soon as possible. In addition, a physician’s office staff should be cognizant of a patient’s behavior and inform the physician if a patient is missing appointments or calling repeatedly for the same prescription.
In AD management, it is important to educate patients and their families about the medications a patient is taking as well as resources that might benefit patients and caregivers.
Patients and families/caregivers need to understand the potential adverse effects associated with each medication, how to recognize them and what to do when and if they occur, according to Bradley Williams, a professor of clinical pharmacy and clinical gerontology at the University of Southern California. Educating families and caregivers becomes particularly important as the patient’s AD progresses and he loses the ability to effectively communicate such issues.
Resources that help with the long-term management of AD include adult day care centers, noted Debra Cherry, executive vice president of the Alzheimer’s Association, California Southland Chapter. These centers provide a respite for caregivers and can improve quality of life for the patient, she said. Though some patients may seem resistant to the concept at first, the structure gives them a sense of purpose.
Cherry cited research showing that adult day care centers can reduce depression and improve quality of life in patients with AD. Observed improvement “wasn’t remarkable, but it was significant,” she said.
“There is also some evidence that those who attend adult day care centers actually sleep better and have less weight loss,” Cherry added.
Overall, noted Williams, there is plenty of national and local support for patients with AD and their families, with programs designed to help cope with the caregiver burnout and long-term grief associated with the disease. The local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association can provide tremendous support, he said.
Cherry added that keeping the caregiver well is almost as important as caring for the patient.
“There is actually some evidence that by providing an individual family with three family sessions for the individual caregiver, you may be able to delay nursing home placement by as much as a year,” she said.
