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Pamela Tronetti DO, AGSF
Medical Director, Aging Services
Parrish Medical Center
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A group of diseases which cause a
progressive loss of the ability to organize,
to plan ahead, to interact with the world
and to function independently
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Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia make up 80% of all cases
Other causes include Lewy-body dementia, Fronto-temporal dementia, Primary Progressive Aphasia, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, Alcohol–related Dementia, Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy, infectious and metabolic dementias etc.
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Certain behaviors accompany the brain
damage that occurs in dementia, including
anxiety, agitation, apathy, belligerence,
confabulation, confusion, depression,
egocentricity, fearfulness, insecurity,
insomnia, lack of insight, paranoia,
restlessness, repetition, sun-downing and
wandering.
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“I tell her something and 5 minutes later
she asks me the same thing.”
“He won’t let me out of his sight. I have to
go tinkle with the door open.”
“He’s up all night rummaging around.”
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“She’s hitting the caregivers and they are threatening to quit.”
“He thinks someone comes in at night and
moves things around in the pantry.” “He hasn’t taken a shower in months and he gets
belligerent if we insist.”
“She says she needs to go home and see her mom.”
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There are certain behaviors that are part of
the progressive losses of dementia.
Education, rather than medication, is often
the key to dealing with them.
(Most times, we need both.)
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Dementia Specialist (adult day care, senior
agency)
Caregiver Support groups
The 36Hour Day (book)
Alz.org or Caregiver.org
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Patients lose the capacity to recognize
losses
Diagnosis is often delayed unless there is
someone else to describe events
Distant relatives think the patient is fine
based on conversations.
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New information is seen, heard, tasted, smelt or felt. It is eventually sent to the hippocampus which stores it.
In patients with dementia, the new information is never stored so it is as if it never happened.
Joshua Foer, “Moonwalking with Einstein.” 2011 Penguin Press
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Whiteboard
Notebook
Maximize hearing
Frank R Lin MD, PhD et al, Hearing loss and cognitive
decline in older adults. JAMA Intern Med.
2013;173(4):293-299.
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“He just sits and stares at the TV.”
Executive function-the ability to plan ahead
and organize - is lost because of damage
to frontal lobes
*medical work up for any new symptoms
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Non pharmacologic treatments
Schedule the day:
“The calendar says…”“The clock says…”
Day care offers stimulation and activities
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“Can’t you give him something for energy?”
“Is he depressed ?”
Dolder CR,Davis LN, McKinsey J.
Use of psychostimulants in patients with dementia. Annals of
Pharmacother.2010 Oct;44(10):1624-32.
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Depression is common, especially in
vascular dementia
Geriatric sensitive depression screening
Depressed patients may stress their losses
while dementia patients minimze.
Consider an activating anti-depressant
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They always need to be busy
They always want to go somewhere
They always are asking “What’s next?”
Caregivers become exhausted
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Often high energy people
Simple chores, arts and crafts, spinners,
busy boxes, busy blankets
Day care offers stimulation, activities
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Anxiousness versus restlessness
Medication is last resort
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“I got mom an easy-to-use phone and she
can’t figure it out.”
“Dad put the shuttle into space and now he
can’t attach a hose to a sprinkler.”
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Sometimes medications can boost or
restore abilities
Safety is job one
The “what if” questions
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“She won’t let me out of her sight.”
Explanation: “You are their lighthouse.
When you are out of sight, the world
doesn’t make sense.”
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The flipside is that the caregiver will insist
that the person will not accept any other
help including day care.
The people in day care and assisted-living
are trained to use distraction and other
tools to make the patient feel secure.
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From the Latin fabulosus - from the fable
“I went to school there.”
“I used to have a horse like that.”
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The production of fabricated, distorted, or
misinterpreted memories about oneself or
the world, without the conscious intention
to deceive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confabulation
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The patient believes they are telling the
truth
“Does it matter?”
Unless there is impending danger, go with
the flow.
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Patients get frustrated by their inabilities
Patients get frustrated by being told what
to do all the time, usually by the same
person
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Simplify, de-clutter
Use external organization (labels)
Deflect the boss role to the doctor, the
calendar, another authority figure, etc
May need anxiolytic or anti-depressant
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Using foul language
Sexually suggestive comments
Racist comments
Other inappropriate comments (weight or
disabilities)
Sexual acting out/hypersexuality
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Avoid activities which fuel the behavior
Calm limit- setting as appropriate
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Business card “The person with me
has Alzheimer’s disease/ dementia.
Thank you for your patience.”
Professional letter – especially for
travel
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Memantine (Namenda)sometimes helps
this and other behaviors
Acting out, especially in a congregate
living situation, requires medication,
usually antipsychotics.
May need psychiatric consult
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“He thinks that what is going on in a TV
show is happening to us.”
- Avoid news programs, crime dramas, and
horror shows
- Block the stations if necessary (blame the
cable company)
- Classic movies and TV shows are okay
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When a person with dementia is experiencing a delusion, hallucination, or catastrophic reaction, or cannot comprehend the reality of a situation, a caregiver may use therapeutic fibbing and diversion to avoid causing further undue anxiety.
www.homewatchcaregivers.com/handling-dementia-symptoms-with-therapeutic-fibbing-and-diversion
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Many people bristle at the thought of “lying
“to their loved ones
The dressing room analogy
The “varnished ” truth
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Defuse and distract
Vague answers
No sense of time
Word choices ( “bib, adult day care,
diapers”)
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Doctors tell the truth
We do not withhold information
We choose our words carefully
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High - set locks
Door alarms
GPS/ID bracelet
Activities to offset the wandering
Environmental change
“What are they looking for ?”
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Identified triggers :
Sun-downing
Bathing
Chaotic situation
Family events/holidays
Loss of attention (egocentricity)
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Defuse and redirect
Calm orderly routine
Limit caffeine and sugar
Minimize events, holidays, and
celebrations
Put someone else “in charge” of some
activities (bathing, medication)
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Ask the tough questions :
“Does your loved one get agitated?”
“Do they ever hurt you or threaten to?”
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Stress patient and family safety :
“It’s not them, it’s the disease.”
“Don’t be afraid to call 911.”
“You’re not doing it to him, you are doing it
for him.”
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Visual or auditory
Often accompanies visual or hearing
impairment along with the dementia
Misperceptions are a factor
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Charles Bonnet syndrome – visual
hallucinations in patients with significant
vision loss. Generally people, children, or
“elves” are seen but silent.
Auditory hallucinations – music or
someone whispering upsetting things
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Maximize vision and hearing
Evaluate lighting, furnishings, curtains
Socialization and human interaction
Environment - the patient may need to
move to a supportive living situation
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Medications such as antipsychotics may
be needed for frightening hallucinations
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Belief that is firmly maintained despite
being contradicted by reality or rational
argument
May be reduced with treating the
underlying dementia
Antipsychotics
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Home is not my present address.
Home is where I raised my children.
Home is where I grew up.
Home is where the world makes sense.
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We tend to visualize ourselves in our 30s.
Therefore, this old man must be my father
or older brother. These middle-aged
people are siblings – not my children.
Capgras phenomenon –the loved one has
been replaced by a duplicate.
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To tell or not to tell
Redirect
Ask questions
“I remember…”
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Never ask “Why did you do that?”
Never ask, “Don’t you remember?”
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Except in matters of safety, never argue
with the patient who has dementia.
You are trying to reason with someone
who is literally un-reasonable
You’re trying to argue with the disease,
and the disease will always win
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Except in matters of safety, don’t focus on
“re-orienting” the patient
Re-orientation doesn’t work, but Validation
does (thank you Naomi Feil)
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You need to meet the patient where he or
she is.
This is the new normal.
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Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
Aricept (donepezil)
Razadyne (galantamine)
Exelon (rivastigmine) – patch
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Side effects – G.I. upset, diarrhea, weight
loss, QT prolongation (ekg, cardiac eval.)
Aricept (donepezil) can worsen night-time
leg cramps and nightmares. (Sometimes
morning instead of evening dosing helps.)
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Persistent activation of central nervous system
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by the
excitatory amino acid glutamate has been
hypothesized to contribute to the
symptomatology of Alzheimer’s disease.
Memantine is postulated to exert its therapeutic
effect through its action as a low to moderate
NMDA receptor antagonist which binds
preferentially to the NMDA receptor channels. Package insert information
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Used in moderate to severe dementia
Significant positive effects on agitation/aggression, irritability, mood lability
Caregivers relayed significantly less agitation – related distress
Behavioral effects of memantine in Alzheimer disease patients receiving donepezil treatment
Jeffrey L. Cummings, MD, et al Neurology July 11, 2006 vol. 67 no. 1 57-63
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Side effects:
Elevated blood pressure
Diarrhea
Headache
Fatigue
Confusion (“opening doors in the brain that
were once closed.”)
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Speaking from personal experience,
I tend to prescribe this drug prior to
instituting antipsychotics for behaviors
such as hallucinations, delusions,
agitation, and paranoia.
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May respond to anxiolytics or
antidepressants.
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May have a paradoxical effect, making
anxiety and confusion worse
Start low and go slow
Alprazolam (Xanax) 0.25 mg – ½ to 1 pill
once or twice a day as needed. (Some
patients need it routinely each afternoon to
prevent sun downing.)
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Clonazepam (Klonopin)
May be needed for patients with REM
sleep behavior disorder if melatonin fails to
control symptoms
(REM sleep behavior disorder is very
common in Lewy- body dementia)
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Symptoms of depression may include
irritability, especially in men
May be more palatable for patient’s
families than anxiolytic
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Christopher White, M.D., JD, Patricia Wigle,
Pharm.D., BC PS. Answers to your questions about SSRIs J Fam Pract. 2010 January;59(1):19-24
Cipriani A, Funkawa TA, Salanti G, et al.
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 12 new-generation antidepressants: a multiple-treatments meta-analysis. Lancet. 2009;373:746-758.
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The most sedative SSRI Fluvoxamine and paroxetine are the most sedating of the SSRIs.
The most activating SSRI Fluoxetine and sertraline are more activating and preferred in depressed patients with apathy, lack of energy, or hypersomnia. And they are least preferred in patients with anxiety and insomnia.
The best SSRI for anxiety Escitalopram has potent anxiolytic-like effects.
http://www.emedexpert.com/compare/ssris.shtml
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Limit caffeine after 2 pm including
chocolate, tea and cola
Lavender oils and sprays
Natural options may contain melatonin,
valerian, chamomille etc. (Midnite, Alteril,
Calms forte, Somnapure)
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Avoid any other otc sleep meds – they
contain diphenhydramine (Benadryl),
which can cause daytime drowsiness
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Evaluate sleep hygiene
TV or radio are ok
Review risk / benefit ratio of sleep meds
Our caregivers deserve a night’s sleep!
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Trazodone (50 – 100 mg)
Alprazolam or other short acting anxiolytics
More sedating SSRI’ s (mirtazepine)
Temazepam
“Use what you got” – cetirizine,
memantine, beta blockers, other anti-
depressants
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“I don’t want them to be a zombie.”
Compassionate answer: “It doesn’t feel
good to be paranoid or scared or angry or
agitated. Just like we treat physical pain,
we treat emotional pain too.”
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WARNING: INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA
See Full Prescribing Information for complete boxed warning.
Antipsychotic drugs are associated with an increased risk of death
(These are) not approved for elderly patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis (5.1)
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Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated
with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk.
Analyses of seventeen placebo-controlled trials (modal
duration of 10 weeks) largely in patients taking atypical
antipsychotic drugs, revealed a risk of death in drug-
treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times the risk of
death in placebo-treated patients. Over the course of a
typical 10-week controlled trial, the rate of death in drug-
treated patients was about 4.5%, compared to a rate of
about 2.6% in the placebo group.
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Although the causes of death were varied, most of the
deaths appeared to be either cardiovascular (e.g. heart
failure, sudden death) or infectious (e.g. pneumonia).
Observational studies suggest that, similar to atypical
antipsychotic drugs, treatment with conventional
antipsychotic drugs may increase mortality. The extent to
which the findings of increased mortality in observational
studies may be attributed to the antipsychotic drug as
opposed to some characteristic(s) of the patients is not
clear. (Drug) is not approved for the treatment of patients
with dementia-related psychosis.
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Document other options tried
Document risk of leaving the behavior
untreated
Document review of black box warning and
family consent
Consider written consent form before
prescribing this medication
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Low-dose high potency
haloperidol, risperidone
Could start with O.25 – 0.5 mg twice a day
and increase every 3 days based on family
reports.
Side effects - drug-induced Parkinson’s
symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, dizziness,
weight gain, etc
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High-dose low potency
Seroquel (quetiapine)
Could start with12.5 mg b.i.d. and/or
25 mg HS and increase every three
days based on family reports
Side effects - sedation, weight gain, dry
mouth, headache
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Behavioral concerns are often a bigger
burden than the memory deficits
Caregiver education is crucial
Dementia specialists and caregiver
support groups can offer a wealth of
information, resources, and therapy
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Therapeutic environments like day care or a memory unit can provide socialization, routine, and appropriate stimulation.
Medications to treat dementia may also decrease the associated behaviors.
Psychoactive medications have a role in keeping the patient at home and reducing caregiver burden
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Thank you for your attendance and
attention to this lecture
Questions?