Treating Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia Without Drugs

The Alzheimer's Association in late January issued 56 new dementia care practice recommendations, including one for person-centered, non-drug treatments, reports Next Avenue . The recommendations are aimed at helping nursing communities, assisted living communities, "and other long-term care and community care providers deliver optimal quality, person-centered care for those living with Alzheimer's and other dementias," said the Gerontological Society of America. The recommendations can be accessed here and will be published as a supplement to The Gerontologist . University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Professor Sheryl Zimmerman says some of the behavioral and psychological symptoms that often accompany dementia "are due to the interplay of the person with the environment." Zimmerman and colleagues studied 197 articles describing scientific evidence on non-drug practices to treat behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Among the treatments looked at was massage, and the researchers determined "through tactile connection, a person living with dementia may feel comforted and cared about, especially in residential care environments where touch tends to be instrumental and task specific." Another practice showing potential is pet therapy, with the study noting "physiologically, quiet interaction with an animal can help lower blood pressure and increase production of neurochemicals associated with relaxation and bonding." Both researchers and proponents agree everyone is different, and individuals with dementia have their own preferences about their environment, their activities, and their medical treatments.