by PGx Medical | Nov 1, 2016 | Uncategorized
For many seniors, the holidays can be especially sad and depressing.
For many seniors, the holidays can be especially sad and depressing.
For many seniors, the holidays are not a time of celebration and joy, but a reminder of how lonely he or she may be, the friends that have passed on, the lack of family get-togethers and an inability to participate in holiday functions. Commonly known as the holiday blues, elderly depression during the holidays affects seniors around the world, and not only during the traditional American holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but other events as well.
Elderly depression, loneliness, lack of social interaction, and an inability to get around severely limit many senior’s ability to join in on holiday occasions which leads to depression.
Common Symptoms of Elderly Depression during the Holidays.
Family members and friends are cautioned to be alert to signs of holiday depression among seniors, regardless of whether they live on their own, with family members or in a long-term care facility.
Depression is more apparent in seniors who have limited options for travel, or whose family members aren’t close by. Some of the most common symptoms of elderly depression during the holidays may include:
- Change in sleeping habits
- Difficulty sleeping
- Apathy or lethargy
- Change of appetite
- Loss of interest in activities
- Loss of interest in socializing
These are just a few and individuals who know how mom or dad usually act are usually the first to pick up on clues that something isn’t right. Picking up on such clues is essential in order to help provide seniors with the attention and care needed to prevent serious repercussions and side effects of depression.
Children of aging parents can take several steps to ensure the mental health and well-being of their loved ones. Arrange regular phone contact when family members are distant to help them feel loved and cared for. If you are close, scheduling regular visits to long-term care facilities is also important so that seniors don’t feel they have been abandoned and forgotten.
Do whatever you can to involve an aging parent in holiday activities, whether it’s filling out Christmas cards, helping plan get-togethers or helping with arts and crafts for holiday decorating. Even the smallest activity can help them feel apart of the holidays.
If your family member is depressed, before starting them on an anti-depressant, ask their physician or long-term care facility if they have a pharmacogenetic test on file. This simple swab of the cheek will let your family members clinical caregivers know if the medication they are taking is appropriate and giving them the therapy they need. Depression is serious, especially for seniors who become inactive.
For more information on pharmacogenetic testing, contact PGx Medical, the trusted and experienced resource for the implementation of pharmacogenetics in the field of aging services.
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
info@pgxmed.com
405-509-5112
source: boomerswithelderlyparents.com
by PGx Medical | Oct 14, 2016 | Uncategorized
“Given the prevalence of hypertension and the fact that effective drugs are so accessible, “treatment of hypertension may prove to be one of the best ways to prevent or delay dementia.” ~AHA
CMS established new national goals for reducing the use of antipsychotic medications in long-stay nursing home residents
In a recent article in MedPage Today, the American Heart Association stated there is compelling evidence that chronic arterial hypertension in mid-life is associated with late-life dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
“There is a strong rationale for treating hypertension, taking into account age, brain health, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health, and other risk factors,” according to Costantino Iadecola, MD, director of the Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
Given the prevalence of hypertension and the fact that effective drugs are so accessible, “treatment of hypertension may prove to be one of the best ways to prevent or delay dementia,” the AHA statement authors wrote.
There are a number of challenges clinicians currently face in treating hypertension, including individualizing blood pressure targets, he added. In an era of “precision medicine,” these targets need to be established on a patient-by-patient basis, Iadecola said, noting that in the elderly, lowering blood pressure can be detrimental.
Control of hypertension is likely to be a fundamental step in the effort to reduce the incidence of AD and other forms of dementia worldwide, Iadecola said.
Results from the long-term randomized controlled Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) trial would seem to support this, he noted. Those results indicated that control of hypertension and other vascular risk factors as well as physical and mental activity and a healthy diet can prevent or improve cognitive decline in an at-risk population of elderly, Iadecola said.
With these findings, precision medicine, via pharmacogenetic testing can identify which medications work best, or at all, for each individual patient. This is critical when dealing in the long-term care setting. “In an elderly patient you don’t always have the luxury of waiting 3-6 weeks to see if a medication will work,” said Clay Bullard, President of PGx Medical, an Oklahoma based company who travels around the country educating healthcare professionals on the benefits of pharmacogenetic testing.
“Pharmacogenetics eliminates the “guessing game” or trial and error prescribing. With these new findings, it’s more important then ever to treat our aging community with the best tools and resources available, and pharmacogenetics is one of them.” said Bullard.
“Sometimes we get pushback from physicians or the nursing staff, and I ask, “what do you have to lose?” Pharmacogenetic testing is currently reimbursed by Medicare B and in select states, Medicaid.
For more information on pharmacogenetics or how to implement it into your long-term care community, contact: PGx Medical, info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112. PGx will walk you through the process or schedule an educational webinar for your staff.
If you would like to schedule PGx Medical to speak at your upcoming conference or corporate meeting on pharmacogenetics and how it relates to clinical concerns such as falls, dementia, sleep, pain, med management and overall staff efficiencies, send your request (with organization, date, time) to kburleson@pgxmed.com.
Read entire article at MedPageToday
by PGx Medical | Sep 21, 2016 | Uncategorized
More than half of nursing facility residents have some form of dementia, many of whom experience behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (BPSD).
How will you be proactive and jump out ahead of New Quality Measures?
According to an online article from the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, over 25% of patients in nursing facilities in the United States receive antipsychotic medications. These drugs have many legitimate uses including treatment for psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, and BPSD in certain situations. However, they are often used inappropriately in nursing facilities to treat BPSD (behavioral and psychotic symptoms of dementia), and evidence documenting their clinical efficacy for BPSD is variable.(1)
In elderly residents who have dementia, antipsychotics are only appropriate in a small number of instances. Yet, despite the Food and Drug Administration’s warnings of increased mortality, the use of antipsychotics as a chemical restraint in nursing home residents who have dementia still persists. Significant morbidity – including higher blood sugar and cholesterol levels, weight gain, increased risk of falls, and decreased cognition – also are associated with the use of antipsychotics. These complications can lead to or cause a worsening of other primary diagnoses known to affect older adults.(2)
CMS plans to monitor the reduction of antipsychotics, as well as the possible consequences, review the cases of residents whose antipsychotics are withdrawn to make sure they don’t suffer an unnecessary decline and add the antipsychotic measure to the calculations that CMS makes for each nursing home’s rating on the agency’s Five Star Quality Rating System.
Coming in 2017 and beyond:
Avoiding potentially inappropriate medications in older adults remains important for quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries, according to CMS, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. (3) Medications will continue to be at the forefront when it comes to star quality measures.
So what are you doing to be proactive? Are you implementing programs to help stay ahead of the game? Pharmacogenetic testing is a fully reimbursed diagnostic test that is easy to implement and gives you scientific-based evidence on how each individual person receives therapy from the medication they are taking today, and a roadmap for medications in the future.
At PGx Medical our consultants travel around the country educating and implementing pharmacogenetics into aging services communities. Our team stays up-to-date on CMS guidelines, the best labs and services that offer your community the most detailed information your clinical staff needs to make informed therapeutic decisions.
Beginning October, 1, 2016, PGx Medical is accepting a select number of nursing and assisted living facilities across the country to be part of their PILOT PROGRAM. Our team will educate your team on this no-cost program, and work alongside you to implement results. Pharmacogenetic testing is a great way to reduce unnecessary medications and can be added as part of your admissions process for all new residents with medical necessity.
For more information about the PILOT PROGRAM, or to request information on pharmacogenetic testing, contact us at: info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.
Source: (1) ascp.com, (2) dads.state.tx.us, (3) cms.gov
by PGx Medical | Sep 16, 2016 | News, Uncategorized
Pharmacogenetics aligns current and future medications with each persons unique genetic profile.
The PGx Medical proprietary process impacts quality, adds value and addresses clinical concerns such as falls, dementia, sleep, pain, med management and overall staff efficiencies.
PGx Medical is looking for a select number of LTC/Senior communities in various States across the country to partner in a pilot program to help gain insight, feedback and data relevant to medication management and pharmacogenetics in the field of aging services. This pilot is not a study or clinical trial, but rather a pilot partnership with progressive LTC communities that are interested in exploring enhanced quality measures, improved outcomes and overall efficiencies in their communities. This is a fully reimbursed diagnostic pilot program that has no-cost to the community or the residents and provides valuable information for each individual resident that meets CMS criteria for medical necessity.
Presently enrolling provider organizations and communities to participate in this pharmacogenetics operational program. To learn more, contact us at info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.
by PGx Medical | Sep 11, 2016 | Uncategorized
Tiffanie Riggs RN, BSN
Chief Nursing Officer
Diakonos Group, LLC
“Quality of care for the residents in our network of facilities is of the upmost concern and importance at Diakonos. My team and I are now able to work with, consult and educate family members with the PGx Pharmacogenomics data for more precise medication management and best practices. The PGx system has added tremendous value to the care we provide and is simple to manage in each facility. It has helped to eliminate needless amounts of “trial and error” in our prescribing and allows for better efficiencies in our communities with our daily medication management processes. It is the ultimate tool for true personalized medicine.”
by PGx Medical | Sep 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
Terry Pearce RN, BC, RAC-CT
“I’ve worked with PGx Medical and found their program to be very beneficial to the quality of care we provide our residents. Their team works alongside ours to ensure they are educated and the test is implemented within our community. PGx also provides follow-up education as staff changes and their support team is available to answer any questions we might have.”
Terry Pearce RN, BC, RAC-CT
Regional Nurse Consultant for Americare Systems
