What is hospice...and when is it appropriate for the Alzheimer's patient?Written by William Hammond, J.D.
Hospice was established in Middle Ages when shelters called hospices were available to travelers who had no place to stay. A couple of centuries later first hospice was founded in London in 1968. The founder, Cicely Saunders, believed that these institutions geared to curing people were ignoring special needs of dying. The first hospice in United States was started in New Haven, Connecticut in 1974. From that beginning, American model stressed hospice as a home service. Many of these hospices have helped a great number of families make their final days with their loved ones warm and memorable. Many terminally ill people and their families ask, "How will I know when it is right time to call hospice?" There is not really an answer to this question. It all depends of individual circumstances and stage of patient in illness. The hospice staff is qualified and generally consists of a chaplain, certified nursing assistants, a medical director, registered nurse and social worker. They can assist you and patient in many different areas: medically, psychologically, and spiritually. Some hospice agencies provide bereavement care to family for several months following death. Here are some of signs that will let you know when to make your first call: ·If life expectancy is six months or less for an Alzheimer’s patient. If patient outlives this initial prognosis, primary care physician may recertify patient for a supplementary 60 day periods. Patients who stabilize may also come on and off hospice, as per their doctor's evaluation. ·If there are no more options for curative treatment and/or individual does not wish to pursue further curative treatment. ·If pain and symptoms have begun to interfere with quality of life of your loved ones and it becomes too difficult for them to stay at home without assistance. ·If adult children wish to learn more about options for a parent's care and how to cope with final stage, death.
| | Taking Antidepressants? You Might Want to Read ThisWritten by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot
Taking Antidepressants? You Might Want to Read This by C. Bailey-Lloyd According to a report by Annette Foglino of Discover Magazine, leading researchers are making landmark discoveries on genetics, link to depression and startling revelations about antidepressants like Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft. Per Eli Lilly and Company, Prozac proportedly works by boosting serotonin levels in brain. Paxil CR's claims are that it can help regulate balance of serotinin chemical, making serotinin more readily available. Pfizer's Zoloft is supposed to help correct chemical imbalance of serotonin in brain as well. However, recent findings based on a long-term project alliance among New Zealand's Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Wisconsin and King College London, found that 5-HTT gene (the gene responsible for regulating chemical serotonin and message transmission in brain) "...comes in pairs and in two sizes - long and short."1 So what does that mean? The study found that persons having "...long genes were half as likely to suffer depression as those with at least one short gene."2 Ironically, individuals who had two short genes were also found not only to suffer from depression, but also had correlating higher levels of serotonin. Because antidepressants (as ones mentioned above) are designed to raise serotonin levels, it in fact implies that medicines such as these do not work as well as originally planned. Based on these compelling results, seriousness of administering antidepressants to persons who already have heightened levels of serotonin could present itself with devastating outcomes. According to FDA's Psychopharmacological Drugs Advisory Committee, an Antidepressants Update report was made on October 18, 1991 discussing effects of certain antidepressants with regard to suicidal thoughts, acts or other violent behavior. At that point in time, FDA had already received several reports and testimony "...from patients, advocacy groups, and other interested parties."3 It was over a decade later, (March 22, 2004) when same FDA released a Public Health Advisory expressing that pharmaceutical companies place warning labels on same medications due to "Worsening Depression and Suicidality in Patients Being Treated with Antidepressant Medications."
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