Hot off the presses today, the first update, in 27 years, regarding Alzheimer’s disease.  I’m not impressed with all of the latest findings.

New Alzheimer’s Guidelines targets early stages

Don’t get me wrong, for anyone going forward this medical epiphany, supporting pre-testing for the disease, will hopefully benefit people slated to suffer with Alzheimer’s/Dementia and dictate treatment that might prevent it or significantly slow its progression.   That’s a positive.

What I do take great exception with is this one statement in the news article….

As a caregiver for my late mother, I battled with her physicians over the medications they prescribed that did nothing for her aberrant behaviors; in fact, every little pill, all combined, did nothing but exacerbate various aspects of  the late-stage dementia she suffered from.  This was almost 8 years ago, when my mother first came to live with us and I did my own intensive research, challenging her physicians at every turn.

I’m well aware that doctors continue to treat the caregivers along with the patient, prescribing sedatives, anti-depressants and anti-psychotics along with drugs like Aricept and others administered to those suffering with dementia.  The hope has been that, for the patient still living at home or with family, these drugs would quell the horrible symptoms that create absolute turmoil in the familial environment.  I can speak, with great authority, that this course of treatment never proved to be favorable in caring for my mother which is why I ceased giving her anything that was prescribed.  Eventually, her physicians concurred and her quality of life was compromised only from Alzheimer’s destructive march, not the side-effects of multiple medications.  As I’ve posted before, patients in too many nursing facilities are routinely pumped full of these medications if they have no one to advocate for them in their treatment; a very sad situation.

I’d say that it’s time for the medical field to acknowledge feedback from people directly involved in the daily care of Alzheimer’s patients; people who aren’t doing it as a business or part of their job…..Caregivers! 

Maybe then it won’t take another 27 years for the next light to go on.