Best Treatment for Aggressive Alzheimer's May Not Involve Medications

A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests there are better, non-medicated approaches for treating aggression and agitation symptoms in Alzheimer's, reports Newsweek . Examples include outings, allowing people with the disease to hear music through headphones, and massage therapy. Outdoor activities worked best for easing agitation and aggression, with verbal aggression best treated by massage and touch therapy. Meanwhile, exercise and modification of daily activities were most effective for mitigating physical aggression. "There is a growing understanding that to . . . chemically sedate someone is not necessarily a humane thing to do," said Jennifer Watt with the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael's Hospital-Unity Health in Toronto. Meanwhile, the National Center for Biotechnology Information recommends cognitive exercises for Alzheimer's sufferers, such as math problems and memory games. Reality orientation training in which the subject repeats their name, the date, or the time also can maintain awareness of where they are.