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Disability Information

Bipolar Disorder

Posted by admin | Clinics, Medication | Posted on August 13th, 2010

Treating Symptoms of Autism with Prescription Drugs

Posted by admin | Clinics, Medication | Posted on June 9th, 2010

While there is no known cure for autism, doctors to prescribe medications for autistic patients. These medications are intended to treat the symptoms of autism, not the actual syndrome. No medication is without side effects, so all treatment options should be carefully considered before one is settled upon. Part of educating caregivers about their options is informing them about the kind of medications used to treat autistic symptoms.

Some autistic patients may be subject to mood disorders, like depression or bipolar disorder. Prescription drugs with serotonin reuptake inhibitors are usually used to control these problems. Classic SSRI drugs include Prozac an Zoloft, which have been approved for use in patients as young as 6 and 7.

People with autism may also have behavioral problems. While these are usually mild and can be treated without medicine, some are more serious and may even be violent. When autistic patients demonstrate out of control behaviors, doctors usually prescribe them antipsychotics, like dopamine. Seizures also afflict about 25% of autistic patients. These can be controlled with anticonvulsants, which can reduce, but won’t necessarily eliminate, the occurrence of seizures.

Attention disorders, like ADD, are commonly diagnosed in autistic individuals. These are usually accompanied by hyperactivity. Drugs like Ritalin are usually prescribe to calm the patient down, decrease impulsive behavior, and increase focus. Because children who have both autism and attention deficit disorders are more likely to bully other children, you might find that they get along better with their friends and family once they begin treatment.

These are just a few of the prescription drugs that may be prescribed to autistic patients. They are safe even for young children. They will never grow out of autism or be “cured,” but you can make autism more manageable for them and you with the right treatments.

Verifying Medications with Doctors

Posted by admin | Clinics, Medication | Posted on May 10th, 2010

If you are willing or have been chosen to take on the enormous task of caring for someone who is disabled or handicapped then you know that a key to their well being going forward is to make sure that they are getting their proper medication. You would be absolutely hard pressed to find someone who is disabled that is not on some prescription drug. The fact of the matter is most disabled patients are on multiple medications.

Managing their medications is not as simple as it appears. And the more meds a person is taking the harder it is. So it’s important to be on top of the medication situation. That is just as simple as knowing the whole of your loved ones current medication.

You must be organized. Take a notebook(or wherever you like to write down things) and write down all the names of the medication your loved one is on. Make sure you write down the strength, name(not brand name but the actual name you are using), and amount of pills taken and how often. Make sure you do this every single time you go to the doctors office. Make sure that every time you go to the doctor’s office you ask he or she to go over this with you. It seems silly but making sure you know exactly what medicine your loved one is on is so important.

Assuming your loved one is of fully functional mental capacity, do not allow them to urge you against double checking or just taking their word for it. As the person who is either their legal guardian or someone who is entrusted to help. You need to know with your own eyes and ears what medication that person is taking. And often times a doctor doesn’t discontinue a medication but rather just adjusts the amount of pills that are taken. You have to be aware of these little changes as they have a big impact on the health and safety of someone you love. There can be no laziness when it comes to prescription drugs.

How Your Pharmacy Can Help

Posted by admin | Clinics, Medication | Posted on January 10th, 2010

You know when you are caring for someone who cannot care for themselves there are more challenges than you could ever expect or be prepared for. One of those enormous challenges is keeping track of all their medication. This can be a daunting and overwhelming task as their medication is so important but if you are smart about it you can get recruit help in a big way: your pharmacy.

Your local pharmacy isn’t just the vendor of these prescription drugs, they can be the piece necessary to keeping you sane while going through the difficult task for managing medication for a loved one.

First they can keep track of what pills your loved one is on and how often they take them. This is invaluable because even though it’s your responsibility to be aware of that there are of course mistakes that can be made. However, your pharmacy has all the records of medications their patients are taking stored on a computer and placed into a central system. This allows you and your pharmacist to know how much that person is taking and for how long they have been taking it.

You can also set up medications on automatic refills. Most pharmacies have this capability. This will allow you to not have to remember to refill the medications yourself. It can be done for you a couple of days before you run out. This is an invaluable service if you are managing someone who has several medications.

A pharmacy is already on top of things like drug interactions. Occasionally, a doctor misses the fact that the drug he is writing a script for is something that a person is allergic to, but your pharmacy has programs and knowledge in place to safeguard against major or minor drug interactions.

Your pharmacy can also deal with your insurance company when it comes to getting prior approvals on certain medications or getting a refill overridden because of a change in dosage or strength. These things are the things a pharmacy can do for you and with your overwhelming life doesn’t that help?

When to go with a State Funded Nursing Facility

Posted by admin | Clinics, Disability Care | Posted on January 3rd, 2010

Finding a nursing home is not as easy as it appears. There are so many pitfalls to avoid. Friends and family have horror stories of nursing homes and with the care of a loved one at stake there is no reason of want to short cut. One of the biggest questions when looking for a nursing home or a long term care facility for you disabled loved one is: When is it okay to go with a state funded nursing home?

This is not an easy question. State homes can often get a very bad reputation. You hear about abuse, poor sanitary conditions and every other thing you can think of. But there are times and places to go with for a state funded nursing home.

First off take a look at the shape of the state you or your loved one lives in. If the state is in bad financial shape this might raise a red flag to you. Even if the state is collecting money from the government through it’s patients it’s still a bad sign when the state is in trouble. If something has to be cut budget wise to help the state financially there is a good chance the nursing home is being cut well before anything else is. A care facility that doesn’t have funding cannot provide the expert level of care you desire for your disabled loved one.

Another great place to find out about the facility is to look online. A lot of these care facilities have been reviewed by real people who have their loved ones in these places. Do yourself a favor though and try and read through as many as you can, even if there are hundreds. It’s hard to get an accurate picture with only a few reviews but pay attention to running themes that you see. Does everyone comment on the food? Does everyone comment on unfriendly staff? Does everyone comment on how clean it is? If the state is in good shape and the reviews are very good then it might make sense to go state.