New Client. Need first step help

tamarageorge

I am a caregiver to a new patient that I believe needs a whole new team of doctors. I have cared for many other patients also currently care for an FTD patient. The poor husband is 76 and is going crazy he has just brought us on board to help. I am not one to medicate however she needs medicated and quickly...she is very clingy to him and is very fidgety and of course short term memory is gone. However a primary doctor has not done any studies on her to tell us what kind of dementia/alzheimers she has....they literally did a ct scan 2 years ago when she took a fall and said this is what she has.. I need to know would it be best to find a new primary or should I go straight to a neurologist and what should I be asking for medication wise. I have to at this point save this husband also. He is leaning to me for his patient advocate and I need to help them as quickly as possible....I will take all the help I can get. I k it my other patients had a neurologist on board but the one she was going to I don't think was qualified to be a doctor...let alone a neuro. Thank you for all your help and advice in advance!

SusanB-dil

Hi tamarageorge - Who has POA and HIPPA rights? That is who needs to really make the decisions. If it is the husband, he could set up an appointment with a neurologist. Sounds like he should do so asap.

easy23

I found a geriatric psychiatrist to be much more helpful than a neurologist.

ButterflyWings

Hi - I agree with the others. Who has POA and HIPPA for her? Also, just a thought - many of the behaviors you describe can be addressed with non-med interventions. "Clingy, fidgety, and short-term memory loss" are on my list of things that beg the question, how can we support the LO with our own behavior to minimize these mild(er) and very natural/typical dementia symptoms.

To be clear, we started meds when there were serious disturbing hallucinations and delusions and my DH started weaponing up to protect us against imagined intruders. And sundowning agitation and elopement became unmanageable. So I am not anti-medication...just pro-behavior modification for the caregiver as a first line approach. Especially since some meds bring undesirable side-effects and we are seeking comfort.

Teepa Snow videos on "Validation" and the great article "Understanding Dementia" by Jennifer Ghent-Fuller are excellent examples of what I mean. An important part of the toolkit in addition to anything a geripsych may eventually recommend prescribing as well.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/210580