It’s not uncommon to see patients in long-term care facilities prescribed medications for anxiety, agitation, or insomnia. Two such medications that can raise red flags are Atarax (hydroxyzine) and Ativan (lorazepam). While both can be appropriate in select...
Mrs. H is an 82-year-old resident in a long-term care facility with a history of generalized anxiety disorder, COPD, osteoarthritis, hypertension, insomnia, GERD, and mild cognitive impairment. She is taking duplicate PRN anxiety medications. Her full medication list...
In my work as a consultant pharmacist (which I love!), I write recommendations to nurses and providers of long term care and assisted living facilities. I wanted to share some of the most recent recommendations I’ve found that can help you identify potential...
As a geriatric pharmacist working in long term care and assisted living facilities, I spend a lot of time trying to figure out which medications I should recommend to reduce. Polypharmacy is a big problem but deprescribing needs to be done the right way. There are...
As a consultant pharmacist, I always try to stay on top of trends to help nursing homes stay on top of guidelines and best practices. With the help of a student, we reviewed 50 LTC facility surveys and share the findings of the most common 2024 nursing home survey...
In the realm of Alzheimer’s disease treatment, two medications often stand out: memantine (Namenda) and donepezil (Aricept). These drugs are frequently prescribed to manage symptoms and improve the quality of life for individuals grappling with Alzheimer’s...
