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hi all i came across the following abstract in my current editing session and it breaks my heart, especially the part marked ****** -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1999/11/13 PMID: 10555938: PD treatment in long-term care facilities -------------------------------------------------------------------- Prevalence, clinical characteristics, and pharmacologic treatment of Parkinson's disease in residents in long-term care facilities. SAGE Study Group. Despite the high prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) in the elderly, little information is available regarding the epidemiology of the disease in residents in long-term care facilities. Using a population-based database with over 470,000 residents (1992-1996) of all Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes of five states, we identified 24,402 residents with a diagnosis of PD. We examined data collected with the federally mandated Minimum Data Set, and sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment information. The prevalence of PD in nursing homes was 5.2%, with peak age-specific prevalence between ages 75 and 84 years. 70% of patients had moderate to severe cognitive impairment, and over 80% had moderate to severe functional disability. Less than 10% had verbal and physical signs of grief and anxiety, and 80% exhibited poor psychosocial well-being, yet only 15% were actively treated for depression. ****** Only 44% received antiparkinsonian drugs. ****** Female gender, black race, age, level of cognitive impairment, and level of physical functioning were inversely related to the likelihood of receiving one of these drugs. When antipsychotic drugs were administered (15%), only 1% were atypical agents. Although PD is a relatively common diagnosis among nursing home residents, pharmacologic management of these individuals appears to be less than optimal. Pharmacotherapy 1999 Nov;19(11):1321-7 Lapane KL, Fernandez HH, Friedman JH Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA. PMID: 10555938, UI: 20022864 -------------------------------------------------------------------- we know [have learned together] so much and there is so much ignorance out there still [i would bet that the picture painted here has not changed substantially, if at all] can we do anything on any kind of basis to help those suffering needlessly? those without a voice? janet who would not care to go without her antiparkinsonian drugs for one hour, let alone one day, or one week or ... janet paterson: an akinetic rigid subtype, albeit perky, parky pd: 55/41/37 cd: 55/44/43 tel: 613 256 8340 email: [log in to unmask] smail: 375 Country Street, Almonte, Ontario, Canada, K0A 1A0 a new voice: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn