Huntington's Disease

[Lise Anne]

I'm a social worker in a nursing home, and one of my residents who is 66 yrs. old has HD She becomes tearful easily and frequently screams for reasons as simple as wanting a drink of water. All staff attempt to anticipate her needs but several of the nurse's aides have come to me to say that they feel overwhelmed by her emotionality and behaviors. She constantly apologizes for everything she does and it really can be heart wrenching. She refuses to see a psychologist Does anyone know of any information or resources about provideing counseling for individuals with HD? Thanks!

[lharpster]

Without knowing if she has dementia yet, since she refuses to see a psychologist, is it possible for a consult to be ordered for one to come see her? She most likely needs to be medicated as psychotic episodes, as well as other mental health issues are common with Huntington's. My mom is 63 and has HD. She has been in assisted living for people with dementia for 2 1/2 years. She is currently in the hospital and will be discharged to a skilled nursing facility. She is on anti-depressant (Paxil), anti-anxiety (Ativan) and anti-psychotic (Haldol) meds. as well as meds for dementia (Aricept and Namenda). If you absolutely cannot get a psych consult, her family doctor may be able to help. However, it typically takes awhile to get all the meds at the right doseage. Good luck!

[JeanEMiller]

First, THANK YOU for taking the time to try and find resources to help with your patient who has HD!!! You are truly an angel!

If you go to the topics to see my post today "Huntington's Disease Resources" you find how you can connect with an HD center of excellence and/or social worker near you. Many of our HD centers and chapters would be elated to come to your facility to do an in-service on Huntington's Disease for your staff to help them better understand the needs of a patient with HD! The physician's at an HDSA Center of Excellence might be willing to consult with your facility doctor to discuss current medications that might be helpful to your patient.

There are also several HD specific handbooks that you can order from the HDSA or download. I have many of them on this link, URL: http://huntingtondisease.tripod.com/hdlinks/id2.html One document that is there is CNA's First Shift which is an excellent brochure providing an overview on an HD patient for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA's)

Again, THANK YOU for reaching out to help your patient! She is someone's loved one and I'm sure both they and she appreciate your efforts!

Love
Jean

[stulchinsky]

In addition to the contributions of others in this forum, users can find physician-developed and monitored information on Huntington's Disease here: http://www.neurologychannel.com/huntingtons/index.shtml

You can also read the stories of others dealing with Huntington's at this link: http://livingwith.neurologychannel.com/huntingtons-disease/

Best wishes to you all.