Cannabis Use For Symptom Management in Dementia/Alzheimer Patients - Eloise Theisen, NP, AGPCNP-BC

Tags: dementia, alzheimer's, geriatrics, Eloise Theisen, medicine

Eloise Theisen, NP, AGPCNP-BC presents "Cannabis Use For Symptom Management in Dementia/Alzheimer Patients: Case Reports From Assisted Living Communities" at CannMed 2022.

0:00 Intro
3:30 Learning Outcomes
4:00 Dementia at a Glance
4:55 Types of Dementia
5:35 Prevalence of Dementia
6:27 Stages of Dementia: Global Deterioration Scale (GDS)
8:37 Dementia/AD: Current Pharmacological Approaches for Disease Management
9:23 Current Pharmacological Approaches for Treatment
9:55 Current Pharmacological Approaches for Symptom Management
10:14 Common Symptoms
10:34 Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (NPS)
12:03 Cannabis and Dementia
13:00 Does cannabis cause cognitive decline in older adults?
14:13 Cannabinoid Research
18:20 Cannabis as a treatment for Alzheimers Disease
19:00 Alzheimer’s Disease
20:17 Patient Demographics
27:36 Dosing Guidelines
29:18 Clinical Observations
30:50 Challenges and Barriers
31:52 Recommendations for Practice

According to the Alzheimer Association, the number of Americans living with ALZ/dementia is 5.8 million and that number is expected to reach 14 million by 2050. Currently 1 out of 3 seniors die from dementia or AD and it is the 6th leading cause of death. As the disease progresses, symptoms such as anxiety and agitation can cause become difficult to manage. There are currently no FDA approved medications to manage anxiety and agitation in AD/dementia. The medications used to manage symptoms come with side effects that can to an increase in falls, weight gain and diabetes. Assisted living communities are looking for ways to effectively manage behaviors with minimal side effects. The presentation will feature key findings related to cannabis use in assisted living communities including trends, outcomes, and clinical implications. Case reports will be presented on how cannabis can effectively manage anxiety and agitation in the AD/dementia population.