We are little frustrated regarding medical practitioners that consult elderly patients for the need for a qualitative pain management assessment.
My father in law is 90 and has chronic degenerative back pain and has been prescribed varying grades of opioid based pain relief over the last few months that has been prescribed treatment to find the lifestyle balance between drossiness (decreased cognitive) vs. pain relief vs. elderly trip and falls.
A month ago, when first prescribed opioid based pain relief, he was incoherent, hallucinating, non cognitive, depressed, until we intervened and suspended treatment after calling his treating medical practitioner. Next week the dosage was reduced.
Last Friday he tripped again and fell and was first family driven to Regency Park Medical Centre (RPMC) where it was explained that he opioid based pain relief is causing him to be too drossy hence his recent incident. At the diagnoses appointment he was dropping off to sleep!
After some RPMC diagnoses treatment, he was driven by family to the Wakefield Hospital for a CT scan. Next week he'll spend a few days in another hospital for observation.
In summary, when an elderly person has a history of trip and falls, one would hope that any medical practitioner quantifiably assesses the risk of prescribing of:
* Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs); vs.
* Opioid based pain relief vs.
* balancing between elderly person quality of pain free life whilst accepting adverse consequences of medication e.g. kidney disease.
The acceptance upon the elderly patients quality of pain free life whilst accepting consequences of NSAID medication e.g. kidney disease, is because, under a controlled assessment where patients are prepared tolerate the risk of e.g. kidney disease forming in the long term, because the pain relief will be provided in the immediate short term.
Whilst concerned for a special father, we both last 4 hours from work read more
