Our role in home health and hospice is to meet the needs of our patients where they are and help them achieve their goals. Managing the debilitating side effects of chronic headaches and migraines in the elderly is a unique skill that requires our attention for home health recovery and supporting the patient through symptoms while on hospice. In the realm of home health, successful management of migraines is critical as there is an increased risk for stroke and other neurological symptoms if left untreated; in fact, poorly treated migraines often resulting in the severity intensifying which impacts quality of life (Curto et al., 2018). Part of the management involves assessment of body weight, hydration needs, muscle/fat ratios, and albumin levels; each of these is vital in advocating for pharmacological solutions and identifying environmental factors which may be impacting the patient’s management of their condition (Wijeratne et al., 2019; Curto et al., 2018). Further, routine medication reviews address common challenges in the geriatric population for low treatment adherence resulting in suboptimal health outcomes (Wang & Wang, 2021). Addressing these concerns may result in further determination of other underlying conditions that may be a cause for headaches, such as elevated blood pressures (Wang & Wang, 2021). Knowing these elements, aids providers in creating comprehensive strategies for their patients. Finally, medication reviews also help to address misuse of prescribed medications in the management of migraines in the elderly (de Rijk et al., 2017). Home health completes regular medication reviews and access to healthcare professionals to train proper dosing and administration.
If you are looking to learn more, check out these resources:
https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/head.13247
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11916-021-00976-x#citeas
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/494758
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14656566.2018.1543660
