Medication changes - Staffing issues

We've recently had a couple of great changes in the way we are managing our son's health and behavior. DHS and a new psychiatrist have really come through for Alan.

One of the issues we have had come up over and over is medication management. For a person on Medicaid, finding a psychiatrist who is willing/able to take a Medicaid patient is difficult. We have recently stumbled onto such a person, and what a great find he is!

Alan has had so many behavior issues in the last several years. We have tried to find a good mix of medication and staffing, but to no avail. We have provided DHS with a long, detailed narrative of the behavior issues, hoping to get approval for 24/7 staffing. We are on the road to that approval. Provisionally, we have about 18 hours a day of one-on-one staffing.

Now to the medication part. It is so hard to make changes to your child's medications. Many times, there is a lot of fear that willy-nilly changes (and we have been subjected to them over and over) will make a bad situation worse. However, we have found a thoughtful, experienced psychiatrist who is able to make some good calls.

Alan's medication was recently changed and it has made a world of difference. He is no longer as manic, and his level of agitation has gone way down. It's such a relief!

Alan's future looks much better, and we are hoping for a more participation with group activities/work to follow.

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