The caregivers reported that the patients were “awake, alert, comfortable and less agitated.” This led to an improvement of their quality of care.
Sarah Ladd Kentucky Lantern
New research—which Kentucky participated in as a trial site—shows a combination of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can help late-stage dementia patients feel less agitation.
Dr. Greg Jicha, the director of clinical trials at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, said this combination, given to patients all over the state who participated in trials, lowered agitation scores by eight points, a “striking” reduction.
“We’ve seen a lot of Alzheimer’s research really move towards the early stages in terms of prevention, and that’s really left a huge hole in the field where we have limited options to provide quality of life, dignity and respect for those that are in the later stages of disease,” Jicha said during a Tuesday morning virtual press conference. We have a limited number of medications we can prescribe for those patients who are agitated or have neuropsychiatric signs. These can cause disruption, particularly for families that choose to take care of their loved ones at home.
Kentucky’s medical marijuana program was approved by lawmakers in 2023. It allows people with chronic pain to obtain prescriptions for medical marijuana.
Jicha stated that dementia was not included in the list.
He said that dementia is the “most common cause of death” and that “all the data we have suggests that most people in hospice suffer from dementia. This could be because they are there for dementia or a condition related to it, or even for something unrelated like cancer.”
Jicha stated, “I believe that the omission of dementia in our State Statute was a mistake.”
Alzheimer’s is an incurable disease that is marked by memory loss. Lecanemab, also known as Leqembi, has been tested in clinical trials by the University of Kentucky. This is an antibody that targets—and in some cases, removes—amyloid plaques from the brain, and has shown some success in slowing cognitive decline.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, patients experiencing agitation who have also lost “their ability to communicate effectively” may express their feelings by throwing things, moaning or groaning, repeating phrases, pacing and more.
Treating this agitation can better their quality of life—and that of their caregivers and loved ones, Jicha said.
Jicha stated that “in essence, the patients were more alert and comfortable, which led to a significant improvement in their caregiving quality-of-life, as measured by the study.
Jicha explained that because of the study’s nature, UK researchers drove participants to their homes. In the study, all participants qualified for hospice. Many were in their own homes receiving care and others were bedbound. Oil form of cannabis and THC was administered to the patients.
Jicha stated that “this is an important study that people should understand, hear, and know about. We have not abandoned their loved ones who are in the final stages of the disease, nor the caregivers and family members that undertake this enormous task of love, commitment, and dedication.”
This article was originally published in Kentucky Lantern.
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