Dementia Patients Rehab: Back To Basics

Dementia is a serious neurodegenerative, progressively deteriorating and terminal clinical condition. Dementia is characterized by the loss or decline of a patient's memory or any other cognitive abilities. Research shows that dementia can be because of several diseases and conditions. Over 27.7million, people in the world suffer from this medical condition. The most common kind of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, and it accounts for almost 80% of all the dementia cases in the world today. Other types include mixed dementia, vascular dementia, and Parkinson dementia among others.

Dementia management

Now, there is no cure for dementia, but some promising experimental treatments are being tested on animals and human beings. Experts in the medical field say that the specific treatment to either slow or arrest the disease progression will take many years to be discovered. It has led to the developing and implementing of none- pharmacological approaches in clinical settings to help manage the condition. These methods support and enhance the quality of life for the people suffering from dementia together with their families.

Rehabilitation for dementia patients

The primary purpose of rehabilitating patients is to ensure that they achieve their optimal level of function. In 1986, Cohen and Eisdorfer suggested that dementia rehabilitation is the only way to help patients suffering from this condition. The primary focus of dementia rehabilitation is to use facilitative, compensatory and none- pharmacological approaches that can modify behaviors or the social and physical environment to help people suffering from the condition to cope with it and participate in their daily activities as usual. Dementia rehabilitation will enable the patient to live for a longer time without getting too many problems.
The focus in dementia rehabilitation is strength based, and it concentrates of the capabilities of the patient to help them achieve the best life they can regardless of the level of the condition.
It is quite different from the traditional therapies used in rehabilitation that mainly focused on addressing, curing, or decreasing impairment, or sometimes addressing the underlying pathophysiological or the neurological level to get the improvements in status.

Challenges facing dementia rehabilitation

Dementia has always been considered a terminal condition, and this has made many healthcare providers not to consider the patients as appropriate candidates for rehabilitation. In fact, many health professionals are still unaware on how to support people suffering from the condition.

Communication strategies for dementia rehabilitation

People suffering from dementia should be handled with a lot of care during rehabilitation. The health care provider taking care of this population must be very patient and understanding. When talking, they should maintain a lot of calm. The verbal instructions given to the patients must be simple, and each should be paid at a time. It is not advisable to rush when dealing with these patients. Dementia rehabilitation should be conducted in places with no distraction or noise so that they cannot concentrate. The caregiver should always assure them that they are doing well. It is also advisable always to express some affection when around the patients.
Dr. David Tal has more than twenty years of clinical experience. He strongly believes that medical treatment can improve the life of Dementia Patients. His participation at the Age Matters Clinic allows him to share his knowledge with patients and their families.