a b s t r a c tSeniors with a history of emotional trauma decades earlier can experience a recurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms when transitioning to a nursing home. We present the case of an 86-year-old male Holocaust survivor admitted to a nursing home for physical therapy and rehabilitation 6 weeks after the death of his wife; the patient was expressing a persistent death wish. Despite the multiple risk factors for depression, his distress was specifically related to the reemergence of nightly posttraumatic nightmares. Over the course of 1 week of treatment with 1 mg prazosin at bedtime, his nightmares and his death wish completely resolved. He achieved his rehabilitation goals and was discharged to a community setting. This report highlights the importance of considering posttraumatic stress disorder in nursing home residents with a history of emotional trauma, and understanding how to address these symptoms pharmacologically and nonpharmacologically.Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Medical Directors Association, Inc.Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms can reemerge even decades later as seniors face challenges associated with aging. 1 Nursing home placement, although stressful for most seniors, can be particularly trying for survivors of involuntary incarceration, such as concentration camps, prisoner of war camps, or prison. Although these seniors may present with symptoms suggestive of depression, they also can present with symptoms specific to PTSD. 2 In some cases, this distinction will change the treatment approach.
Case ReportAn 86-year-old male Holocaust survivor was admitted to a nursing facility for physical therapy after a humerus fracture sustained in a fall. His wife of 60 years had died after a long illness 6 weeks earlier.At the nursing home, he verbalized to the nursing staff on several occasions that he had "nothing to live for." The primary care physician in the nursing facility requested psychiatric consultation for evaluation of depression.The patient's history is significant for PTSD resulting from concentration camp imprisonment from ages 12 to 17. His parents, siblings, and more than 30 other relatives perished. After liberation, he married another survivor and moved to the United States, where he raised 3 children and worked as a plumber. He described vivid nightmares of his concentration camp experiences for several years after liberation, but over time, these became infrequent, occurring no more than once or twice per year.According to the patient's community primary care physician, he was "adjusting to his wife's death well," and his mood was good before his fall. He continued taking 50 mg sertraline daily, which had been initiated by his primary care physician during his wife's illness.Arriving at the nursing facility, the patient voiced renewed distress over his wife's death, reporting feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, passive death wish, and severe sleep disturbance. Despite these complaints, he was progressing well in physic...