There is no doubt that cannabis has a high amount of viability as a treatment for a variety of symptoms that the elderly face. As the world of legal cannabis comes into play, weed continues to be a solid alternative to more traditional medicines. One of the newest questions that people have been asking in the industry is whether or not nursing homes should allow the use of cannabis.
Senior citizens are often overprescribed various medications for a range of complications, but many are wondering as to whether or not cannabis can help to be a new alternative to those medicines. In nursing homes, the elderly have every aspect of their lives controlled whether it be taking medicine, sleeping and moving around. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that recently, the rate of cannabis use in those over 65 has risen by 250% over the past ten years or so. This is a staggering amount, and something that has not been talked about too much in the recent news. Because of this, it makes a good deal of sense that the elderly would like to have access to cannabis in the place they live. This could help with a range of illnesses from chronic pain, glaucoma and other ailments that cannabis has the ability to heal.
With legalization happening throughout the country and around the world, it seems like there should be some sort of legal cannabis program for the elderly. If a nursing home were able to incorporate the use of legal weed into the home itself, it would not only help the patients with their day to day lives, but it may also help to attract new individuals to live in the space.
There are some facilities that exist now that allow the use of cannabis, but often it can be difficult to find one since there is no formal database in any way. In a recent study of around one hundred nursing homes, only three said that they allow the use of cannabis. This is something that more should look into in the near future, as the world of cannabis is exploding in recent times. In the nursing home world, many of the facilities do not really have a reason to not allow the use of cannabis other than the fact that they are stuck in the old ways. Many of the homes are also not willing to engage in any sort of dialogue as to why they don’t offer the use of cannabis in their homes.
With a massive amount of evidence in the research community showing the wide benefits of cannabis for myriad conditions, it seems smart that elderly care facilities would allow the use of cannabis. One of the main obstacles for this is the insurance agencies that often play a large role in what goes on. A nurse at a local California nursing home stated in regard to this that “It’s not a fear of marijuana that prevents medical cannabis use. Nursing homes are a heavily regulated industry.” He went on to explain that factors such as an inability to accurately determine dosage are a major issue, while another is Medicare.”
The dosage is something that is extremely important as well, given that marijuana has a wide variety of different strains, all with different strengths as well. As the industry is able to progress throughout the next coming years, it will be interesting to see how the use of cannabis can be integrated into that of the elderly agenda. The hopes are high that we will be able to see cannabis in nursing homes in the near future for the benefit of the elderly.
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