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Alzheimer Disease And Medication |
By:
Dakota Ulrich |
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For people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease there will be
medication that needs to be administered. This raises the
question of whether or not it’s ethical to hide their medication
in food if they resist taking it voluntarily. As a caregiver
you’ll have to decide if and when you need to hide medication in
food so that your patient gets the medication needed.
People who have Alzheimer Disease are often given powerful
anti-psychotic drugs and sedatives. It’s important not to
over-sedate patients. Strong doses of medication may make it
easier for you to care for your patient but it won’t be in the
best interests of the person who has Alzheimer Disease. Studies
show that patients who are cared for in nursing homes are medicated
more often than patients who are given care in their homes by a
caregiver. As a caregiver you’ll need to be conscious of
the quality of care that you provide and this includes monitoring
medication carefully and accurately.
Your patient’s doctor will be in charge of which medications to
prescribe at what doses. It will be up to you to make sure that
your patient takes the medication on time each day. Correct
medication is crucial to the management of Alzheimer Disease.
There will be stages of the disease when it becomes more difficult for
you to get your patient to take their medication. At these times
you’ll have to find ways to get the medication down without a
struggle.
Try presenting medication to your patient with food. This way you
can make the medication part of the meal time ritual. Some
medications will have to be taken on an empty stomach and this can
present some difficulties. You’ll have to practice some
patience as you wait for you patient to take the medication. In
extreme cases you’ll have to ask for the doctor’s advice to
ensure that the medication is being taken.
As a caregiver of an Alzheimer patient there are many things that
you’ll have to know about medication besides what dose it should
be given at. This includes possible side effects and over dose
symptoms. Always make sure that you keep medication safely away
from your patient so that there is no chance of an over dose
occurring. Keep a list of the medication that you’re giving
the patient along with times that it should be taken. Mark down
each dose that you give the patient so that there is no chance of you
duplicating the dose.
This is important since you are the one who will be responsible for the care of your patient and the administering of all drugs.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article53441.html |
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