Medical cannabis research turns to seniors in long-term care facilities
Summary: 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. 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.
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.
“There has not been any longitudinal tracking, prospective studies, that are tracking the impact of medical cannabis over time,” Lucas says.
“The 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,”
“So we can treat pain, anxiety, sleep with one thing, as opposed to three or four different medications.”
“That could potentially reduce the medication administration time and could almost cut it in half,” she notes.
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