Individuals who have dementia often receive antipsychotic medicines even in the absence of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), unnecessarily placing them at risk of adverse side effects. However, a quality improvement...
If one looks through a light microscope at a stained section of brain from a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, what one sees very much resembles a painting by the famous American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock. Degenerating neuronal...
Music therapy for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can provide a variety of benefits to both residents and nursing home staff. Although music therapy has to be provided by a board-certified clinician, many of the basic...
How often do you consider the surprise question when caring for patients with chronic, progressive diseases? The surprise question, “Would you be surprised if this person died in the next 12 months?” offers a quick, easy tool to timely identify...
Chronic itch, also known as chronic pruritus of unknown origin (CPUO), is common in the geriatric population, and without adequate recognition and management it impacts quality of life and can be debilitating. But is chronic itch afforded as much...