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I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
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V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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If you can control the GERD you may not need the Ambien at all. GERD wakes the patient up and they seek relief. GERD needs smaller, more frequent meals. For example, a man who eats dinner at 6PM then fasts until 10AM the next morning, (fasting for 16 hours) has more discomfort. Adding Ambien so he won't wake up is counterproductive.
It is not contraindicated to use Ambien with GERD, but as Pam points out, if they are waking due to gastritis or esophagitis, treat that first before giving sleeping pills, and realize that a lot of people can't or won't verbalize that they have hearatburn or GI distress, they will just get uncomfortable laying down, or it hurst to eat so they don't. I felt like I was giving out ranitidine like candy this last big outreach clinic I did - and the guidelines actually say to just try it empirically before sending someone for upper GI endoscopy.
My mother was recently given Ambien and she was like a crazed zombie the entire next day. My daughter is a Pharmacist and she said seniors should not have Ambien for this very reason.
please do not try to treat the gerd with ompetrazole or a prescription. That only suppresses the hydrochric acid thst we need for digestion. If someone has this condition look to a holistic practitioner. A change in diet and L Gultamine cured me in no time at all. This gives you the hydrochloric acid you need for digestion. It's part of leaky gut syndrome
Ok...not sure from your question just what the connection is with GERD and Ambien as one has nothing to do with the other. As someone who has GERD, I do not know why Ambien would be given. You've left something out for me to understand. GERD is treated via diet, raising the head of the bed, not eating close to bed time, and medications. A sleep aid and GERD symptoms are exclusive of each other. Is the person being treated for the GERD symptoms otherwise??
There are many good suggestions here. I'd suggest treating the GERD as a separate issue. Ambien has many possible side effects even for healthy people. The idea that it would be good for someone with Alzheimer's should be discussed with a doctor who understands Alzheimer's well. It doesn't sound like a good idea to me, as a layman, however.
There are some age old calming remedies that help people relax (such as chamomile) that could be tried, but even then you might want to confer with the doctor.
Sadly, getting up many times a night is common with AD even without complicating factors such as GERD.
Listen to Bonnie My husband has suffered from GERD for years. HCL (hydrochloric acid) has given him tremendous relief. You can get HCL in capsule form. If you can improve the diet with the help of a naturopathic practitioner, all the better.
Thanks for all the reading my mother has the same problem's and giving her the ambien was bad she was like a zombie for days and fell and broke her wrist and did not remember anything. She to thinks I am mean and hate full but I just go with the flow. I will try the L Gultamine and HCL for her stomach issues
Ambien and other sleeping pills (including over-the-counter sleep aids) should be avoided in people with Alzheimer's because they can make the thinking worse and they also increase fall risk. In fact, they should be avoided or used with caution in all older adults, but people with Alzheimer's are at particular risk for side-effects.
I agree with those who suggest you approach the sleep issues separately from the GERD issues. (That said, untreated GERD can be a cause of sleep problems.)
I would encourage you to talk to the doctors about non-drug approaches to helping the person with Alzheimer's sleep. Exercise, routine, and brightlight therapy have been shown to help.
If medication seems absolutely necessary, melatonin and trazodone are safer choices. Good luck.
I have GERD and I found plain old fashioned Tums worked for me. I prefer the "Smoothie" tasting Tums.
As for Ambien, my sig other takes that for sleep issues, wish he wouldn't. I had to call 911 twice due to falls and me not able to wake him up after the fall. It was pretty scary. One time he awoke and wondered why the EMT's were in our living room, and he was combative right after that. But we got him to the ER, as the EMT made an excuse that his heart rate didn't look right, so sig other didn't argue with that.
I wouldn't give an Alzheimer's patient suffering from GERD any kind of sleeping medication. What if the patient is too groggy and has to throw up for some other reason? They could choke on their own vomit and die. I was treated for GERD once with Protonix, small meals during the day and nothing before bedtime, head of the bed raised, etc. The side effects of Protonix was awful and I would NEVER take that drug again regardless of what I was suffering from. I had been on it for about 4 months when I noticed that I was having more frequent bowel movements than usual. This was before I retired and I was having these problems while at work. I went from once a day to 4-6 times a day by month 5 and then after being on it for about 10 months, I was running to the BR on the average of 8-12 times a day. I ruined countless pairs of underwear. I asked the doctor several times what was going on and he said (stupidly) that Protonix wasn't causing the problem and I must have some other issue going on and I needed to stay on the med. By this time, I was exhausted, worn down from losing so much fluids that I decided to stop the med to see if it was, in fact, the medication. It was. It took several days after taking my last dose that I was running less and less to the BR. It took awhile for the meds to get out of my system completely but once I did, I went back to normal BR once a day. I researched my drug guide book and it took reading a PDR to find out in very small print that Protonix was guilty of causing problems like I described. I wasted almost a year of my life going thru something I didn't have to do and I decided to treat myself. I started drinking about 40-60 oz of cold water a day, kept the head of my bed raised about 15 degrees and ate bland food like malt-o-meal, cream of wheat, etc. for months and my GERD went away. I haven't had any problems since then. My doctor was irritated with me for "going against medical advice" but I didn't care. I decided to change doctors after that because he wasn't listening to me. As for Ambien, it is a strong drug and in my own opinion, doesn't need to be given to seniors and/or Alzheimer's patients because of the fuzzy thinking, risk of falling, and a drugged feeling. Fix the patient Chamomile tea to help them sleep. A person usually sleeps according to what exertion they have put out during the day. If they work out, they will sleep more, if they work at a job, they are more tired and will usually sleep better. If they don't do much during the day, they don't need 8-10 hrs of sleep. They'll wake up in 4-5 hrs ready to get up. That doesn't mean there is something wrong with them and need meds. They've just slept all they needed. With elderly or dementia patients, always start out with OTC methods first. The doctor can suggest other drugs if OTC doesn't work. Good luck.
I think you're going to want to learn about what causes Gerd. I went through all of this myself, and I tested positive for H. pylori. I was treated and I'm still dealing with the aftermath since I must now undergo diet changes. H. pylori actually thrives on sugar or anything such as carbs or starches that convert to sugar. Sugar feeds H. pylori, which keeps the problems going and even worsening. If anything sounds familiar, definitely see your healthcare professional immediately, and definitely mention you suspect H. pylori. All too often doctors miss it or even misdiagnose it. I don't understand this one so many people have it, many of them don't even know it, and maybe they don't even recognize it so it's not caught and treated sooner. This page will explain everything you need to know. Again, I went through the same exact thing and got treatment because I tested positive for H. pylori
Ompetrazole simply makes things worse long term. It suppresses hydrochloric acid which you need for digestion. You don't have enough that is why you have gerd in the first place. Take away all gluten and purchase some l-glutamine powder form mix with water. Goodbye gerd
Hi Bonniepages, I went through Gerd and all of that stuff myself and tested positive for H. pylori. I was treated and the symptoms are nearly gone now. h.pylori actually buries itself in your stomach lining and causes a whole host of problems, including Gerd. Take it from someone who's been there and carried it for a while until it was recognized
Parasites like H.Pylori are actually quite common. Spring "de-worming" of children was commonplace a hundred years ago. Now they only do dogs and cats. Maybe some Flagyl (metronidazole) would help. Annually.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Adding Ambien so he won't wake up is counterproductive.
There are some age old calming remedies that help people relax (such as chamomile) that could be tried, but even then you might want to confer with the doctor.
Sadly, getting up many times a night is common with AD even without complicating factors such as GERD.
Take care,
Carol
I agree with those who suggest you approach the sleep issues separately from the GERD issues. (That said, untreated GERD can be a cause of sleep problems.)
I would encourage you to talk to the doctors about non-drug approaches to helping the person with Alzheimer's sleep. Exercise, routine, and brightlight therapy have been shown to help.
If medication seems absolutely necessary, melatonin and trazodone are safer choices. Good luck.
As for Ambien, my sig other takes that for sleep issues, wish he wouldn't. I had to call 911 twice due to falls and me not able to wake him up after the fall. It was pretty scary. One time he awoke and wondered why the EMT's were in our living room, and he was combative right after that. But we got him to the ER, as the EMT made an excuse that his heart rate didn't look right, so sig other didn't argue with that.
I think you're going to want to learn about what causes Gerd. I went through all of this myself, and I tested positive for H. pylori. I was treated and I'm still dealing with the aftermath since I must now undergo diet changes. H. pylori actually thrives on sugar or anything such as carbs or starches that convert to sugar. Sugar feeds H. pylori, which keeps the problems going and even worsening. If anything sounds familiar, definitely see your healthcare professional immediately, and definitely mention you suspect H. pylori. All too often doctors miss it or even misdiagnose it. I don't understand this one so many people have it, many of them don't even know it, and maybe they don't even recognize it so it's not caught and treated sooner. This page will explain everything you need to know. Again, I went through the same exact thing and got treatment because I tested positive for H. pylori