{"id":192153,"date":"2018-12-03T02:10:57","date_gmt":"2018-12-03T07:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=192153"},"modified":"2018-12-03T02:10:57","modified_gmt":"2018-12-03T07:10:57","slug":"medical-cannabis-research-turns-to-seniors-in-long-term-care-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/12\/03\/medical-cannabis-research-turns-to-seniors-in-long-term-care-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical cannabis research turns to seniors in long term care facilities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Medical cannabis is already being used by many residents for a range of ailments, notes Chartier, who says staff and family members have already anecdotally reported positive results. (Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO \u2014 Constant back pain caused by a fall left Ash Basu in agony, so when his doctor suggested he see a cannabis specialist, he was intrigued.<\/p>\n

The 64-year-old had no experience with marijuana, recreationally or otherwise, but had heard reports of the herb’s pain-relieving potential and was eager to avoid opioids.<\/p>\n

He was referred to a cannabis clinic and peppered the doctor with questions. He wasn’t happy with what he heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn’t seem to have too much information,\u201d complains Basu, who was among several dozen seniors at a recent information session on medical marijuana in Toronto.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem that I’m having is there is no data on what interactions there are between all the medications I take. I’m diabetic, I’ve got high blood pressure, I’m on three different allergy medications. It’s a lot of medications that I’m on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Basu left the clinic with an authorization to buy medical cannabis oil, but two months later he still hasn’t bought it. He doesn’t think he will any time soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m really, really scared … about trying this because I don’t want any reactions and I don’t want to fall. That’s my biggest worry,\u201d says the Mississauga, Ont., resident.<\/p>\n

Interest in cannabis among older people is high but there are lots of questions, says Candace Chartier, CEO of the Ontario Long Term Care Association.<\/p>\n

It’s a big reason her group has embarked on a six-month pilot program to track and monitor the effects of medical cannabis use among 500 seniors in several Ontario long-term care facilities.<\/p>\n

Medical cannabis is already being used by many residents for a range of ailments, notes Chartier, who says staff and family members have already anecdotally reported positive results.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is making an impact, it’s less time required to care for the residents…. The caregivers that are coming in are seeing a difference in the level of pain,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know it’s working small-scale and that’s why we’re excited to do this more large-scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chartier says the OLTCA will co-ordinate the program and develop screening tools for nurses, pharmacists, doctors and caregivers in conjunction with the cannabis company Canopy Growth, which is supplying the marijuana.<\/p>\n

The results will inform guidelines that could shape care at facilities provincewide: \u201cIt will become a clinical support tool so that every home in the province will be able to benefit from it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a similar six-month study launches Monday involving the B.C.-based cannabis company Tilray, set to examine the impact of medical marijuana on sleep, perception of pain, and quality of life in patients over 50 years old.<\/p>\n

Philippe Lucas, Tilray’s vice-president of global patient research and access, says the study will start in Sarnia, Ont., and eventually expand to more clinics in British Columbia and New Brunswick in 2019.<\/p>\n

He expects to sign up 600 to 1,000 patients, and bemoans a dearth of detailed data on how older people are using cannabis and the outcomes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has not been any longitudinal tracking, prospective studies, that are tracking the impact of medical cannabis over time,\u201d Lucas says.<\/p>\n

Tilray’s Ontario study is being led by Sarnia-based cannabis specialist Dr. Blake Pearson, who specializes in cannabinoid therapy for seniors, including those living in long-term care facilities.<\/p>\n

Pearson says cannabis is not for everyone, but estimates that 60 to 70 per cent of patients who try medical cannabis under his care see some type of improvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cOftentimes, I’m able to treat a geriatric patient with cannabis oil and reduce potentially two to three of their other medications as a result, because it’s multimodal,\u201d Pearson says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we can treat pain, anxiety, sleep with one thing, as opposed to three or four different medications.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reducing medications could not only improve quality of life for the patient, but the \u201cquality of workplace for the staff\u201d at long-term care facilities, says Chartier.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat could potentially reduce the medication administration time and could almost cut it in half,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n

Canopy’s chief medical officer Dr. Mark Ware notes medical cannabis research tends to focus on childhood epilepsy and middle-aged people with chronic pain and spasticity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe elderly have not received a lot of attention and there’s good reason to think they may handle cannabinoids differently than would a younger person,\u201d says the Montreal-based pain specialist, previously vice-chair of a federal task force that studied the legalization of marijuana in Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey may require smaller doses, they may metabolize drugs more slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n

He saw a big advantage to rooting research in a long-term care facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have very robust tracking systems for medication use \u2014 for neurocognitive symptoms, for sleep and pain scores. So they’re actually very accustomed to tracking the health of their residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Basu says he’s looking for arm’s-length research that will objectively assess medical cannabis use for seniors, noting he’s generally skeptical of studies that involve the private sector. But he welcomes more attention to seniors’ concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s all about education,\u201d he says. \u201cI think the industry needs to do a lot more.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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