Conference Coverage
Many dementia patients have guns at home
Key clinical point: Ask family members of community-dwelling dementia patients about those patients’ access to a firearm.Major finding: About 12%...
COPENHAGEN – A new study revealing the presence of firearms in the homes of more than 12% of community-dwelling dementia patients in the Midwest highlights a difficult situation for physicians treating such patients.
"Doctors have no legal right here to remove weapons from the home," noted study investigator Jason Hsieh, a fourth-year medical student at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. "The only thing we can do is try to identify if one exists, and encourage family members and caregivers to consider removing it or at least store it locked and unloaded in an inaccessible location."
In a video interview at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2014, Mr. Hsieh discussed the study’s findings and the strategies physicians might use to keep their community-dwelling patients with dementia safe.
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