To cope with dementia, seniors are turning to cannabis

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. More older adults are using marijuana for sleep, anxiety and pain. A small but growing number are taking it to manage their dementia symptoms.

Doctors who prescribe cannabis to dementia patients say it can alleviate anxiety, agitation and pain, and improve sleep, appetite and mood. While there isn’t much definitive research on the use of cannabis for dementia, several small studies have backed its usefulness in soothing agitation. Roughly 20% of the people who come for a cannabis consultation now are dementia patients, says Dr.

Jeffrey Hergenrather, a general practitioner in Sebastopol, Calif., who has made cannabis his specialty for more than 25 years. Some dementia patients—and their caregivers—are seeking alternatives after traditional medications haven’t provided relief or caused unsettling side effects, doctors say. “It’s a fairly common practice among people living with dementia," says Brenda Roberts, executive director of the nonprofit National Council of Dementia Minds, a dementia-patient advocacy group.

Marijuana comes up frequently in discussion groups, she adds. She says her 72-year-old husband, Mark Roberts, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia a little over 10 years ago, takes a liquid dose of cannabis twice a day to help control anxiety and outbursts. He takes a higher-dose THC gummy at night as needed to help with sleep.

Mark Roberts says cannabis helps him relax—and improves his relationship with his wife. The couple live in Elwell, Mich. “It just calms me down," he says.