conventional treatment of Alzheimer’s disease focuses on drugs to help support and emotional forms of behavior modification to remind a person better and to cope with daily activities. Here are some other forms of therapy have also proven useful for people with the disease. Here you can find therapists who offer services or to adapt them for use at home.

Note that no treatment of any kind was found to make the effects of Alzheimer’s reversed. But it is possible to slow the progress or to improve life simply the quality of life for someone with the disease.

Many pet owners can attest only to an animal have a calming effect. That’s the idea behind pet therapy for people with Alzheimer’s disease, are particularly at risk for anxiety and depression. In this type of therapy did the companion of man from animal, animals – be it a dog, cat, guinea pigs or other animals – the person with Alzheimer’s disease and helps to interact smoothly and safely. These visits usually occur in nursing homes, day care centers and hospitals for adults, but of course the idea can be used at home.

The benefits of pet therapy include the reduction of anxiety and stress, improve improve communication, mood and lower your blood pressure. People with Alzheimer’s disease may be particularly comfortable with a pet, because they interact with non-verbal.

What can you do: The person you care for is probably not capable of caring for a pet, it’s not a good idea to run out and buy a kitten unless someone shall be provided around the clock their care. But animal-therapy, no direct contact with animals – bird watching and watching an aquarium – seems to have a positive impact. (- Have, people often have difficulty eating properly reflecting a better feed intake) and showed less aggression research by the Pet Care Trust, a charitable foundation funded and conducted by Purdue University found that Alzheimer’s patients are provided with aquarium gained weight. Try setting up an aquarium or bird feeders outside windows favorites.

What spiritual activities are prayer, religious services or visits with a person who provides religious guidance, they have a therapeutic effect on many people with Alzheimer’s disease. Spirituality and relaxation, faith, hope and consolation. Some studies have shown that people with probable Alzheimer’s disease, the higher levels of religiosity have slower rates of mental decline to show.

In addition, religious participation of the rule with regular events, rituals or traditions. Repeated over the years tend to be those memories hardwired in the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, a person with Alzheimer’s disease can find religious or spiritual activities to calm and easy to follow. These activities provide the opportunity to establish contacts and with family, friends and community members.

What you can do: Make arrangements for your children continue attending their routine services as long as possible. If his behavior is erratic and sometimes disturbing, to determine whether a “quiet room” available. (Used mostly mothers of young children, this place is useful for people with Alzheimer’s, too.) Try going to services at the beginning or middle of the week, when is the easiest part.

consider other things that can maintain their spirituality, too. For some people it is a walk in the woods and saw the sky. classical music or meditation

If you already found yourself singing a pop song that you have not heard since high school – and to know the words – you have an idea of the power of musical memory. Anyone with Alzheimer’s disease could not remember breakfast, but the words of the old favorites of 50 or 60 years may be the tip of her tongue.

Listen to familiar music is pleasant and soothing. It can relieve stress and anxiety and improve mood. People with Alzheimer’s disease is often “open” and begin to clap and sing along. In group settings, music can remind the audience with their past and interact with each other. In music therapy programs for adult day care or assisted living facilities, nursing home staff performances and music with dance, which has the added benefit of promoting exercise organize

what you can do. , choose the music carefully and keep what you love know you love and appreciate them. (If you are unsure, look for old records and CDs of songs from their 20′s and 30′s, when almost everyone is listening to popular music. It might even be able to borrow some from the library to try them out. ) Listening to music while eating and appetite can play quieter music before bedtime can help sleep, lighter and more comfortable.

Some people with Alzheimer’s disease enjoy music. Many toys are suitable music, seemingly without a juvenile, then compare maracas, tambourine, xylophone, harp or Tower Toys (zither), which offers easy to follow notes or simply picked when they can no longer follow the notes. can be

visualization and creation of art therapy. Walking through a museum or gallery is a great way, a person with Alzheimer’s disease to relax, while some practice. Speaking of parts with a companion or group for a tour Force him a chance, something in the moment without having to remember to think about or do not speak facts. (And interpretation of art, finally, is the individual, so there is also a freedom of expression.) This can be a huge mood booster and how to increase self-esteem.

Working on an art project can help in releasing emotions. a safe, healthy manner when it is performed in a group, the art also generates conversation and promotes the bond between the participants with various tools, a person with Alzheimer’s practice hand-eye coordination. If fine motor skills are in decline, and painting or Drawing is hard to touch the enjoy the work of sculpture or just paint with a broader brush

. What you can do: Do not worry if the person you care for has never been a very safe, non-toxic materials, easy to use and to encourage them to have time to spend with them (even ” artistic.. pencils and pages of color pounds working broken. adults offers coloring books and pictures nonjuvenile if it is sensitive to this problem.) If you do not know how to do it yourself, you will see in day programs for adults where art therapy is often used, and the participants have the feeling of learning a skill or something to create.

Visit your local museum together often. Weekday mornings are less likely to be overcrowded. Among the most important collections and short term memory is an issue, the new long enough each time.

Storytelling. seems to be the story is a therapy which uses creativity. A supervisor or other companion in this patient, an image or a series of images and invites him to construct a scenario. As in art therapy, communication on an image does not need to remember everything a daunting and unpleasant aspect of the other talks. Storytelling can be creative exercises, provides emotional relief and allows caregivers with insights about the life and mind of the person with Alzheimer’s disease.

In

narrative therapy, as in art therapy, is the key to the person with Alzheimer’s can take the lead when the activities implemented. Companion just helps the story along the open question of fundamental issues sometimes made history

What can you do .. A book table will find coffee with large images. At a moment of relaxation, peace, when there are no distractions to interrupt or confuse members of your family, you sit down with her and see the whole book. You can too. Postcards, calendars, images, or a magazine (photos of celebrities and historical Skip, that the person tried to stick to the “right” to remember to get more details.) Say: “Let’s do a story about this funny picture” or “I wonder what they think. What do you think? “Avoid questions that could feel like testing. (“What’s that?”) The fact that there is no right or wrong answers stress. Offer an open invitation to contribute to the story. Search

Timeslip, a method of facilitator-led therapy groups for mentioned, developed by Ann Basting, director of the Center for Age and Community at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

reminiscence. Unlike the narrative, which is not explicitly invites memories, reminiscence, a person with Alzheimer’s to be a long-term memory by encouraging them to share positive memories of younger days exercise. Especially in the early stages of the disease, they can still remember with amazing clarity the events and people from childhood to adulthood. old photo albums, memories and music are tools often used to generate this kind of conversation. can improve

talks focusing on the strongest memories mood, encourage verbalization, and increasing self-esteem.

What can you do: Keep the relaxed atmosphere, so that they may not as if feeling a memory game. When children and grandchildren are involved as a listener, a person with Alzheimer feel particularly proud that we share piece of family history. As a bonus, you can learn things about him that you are not aware or moved to a new record and well-known stories on tape or on paper to preserve them. be

massage. Perhaps one of the more unusual therapies for a person with Alzheimer’s disease is massage therapy. In all men the healing power of touch is well documented. It can trigger a relaxation response, lowering blood pressure, reduce pain and chronic diseases. Few studies have been conducted on massage for Alzheimer’s patients, but so far has been found to reduce episodes of wandering and other behaviors with restless anxiety. Massage can also help people sleep better with Alzheimer’s disease, relieve muscle tension and sense and avoid depression. Massage therapy is sometimes combined with aromatherapy (see below).

What you can do: Ask the person you care if they wanted to try it. Someone who is shy or has never been a massage can with hand, foot, or massage to begin. Massage therapy works only when the person feels comfortable with it. It can be very sensitive to touch or feel uncomfortable with a stranger or even a family member of his touch in this way. Make sure that when you hire a professional massage therapist, she knows that his client suffers from dementia. Know that you do not sign him for a full body massage, take advantage of the power of touch: His Hug, hold hands, touch them gently when you’re talking

Aromatherapy .. The use of essential oils from flowers and other plants to treat physical and mental disorders, a long history back thousands of years. Certain smells seem to directly create connections in the brain responses. Essential oils can be applied directly to the skin (in diluted form) during the massage, burned to their perfume can escape into the air, or in the bath water. Some nursing homes to calm with aromatherapy for the residents. This treatment is not well studied Alzheimer’s disease and the disease progresses in the sense of smell is often impaired, it is unclear whether patients can benefit with advanced Alzheimer’s.

What can you do: The relaxing and stimulating powers of smell may be worth trying one at home, if you find the idea interesting. Even familiar smells such as chocolate biscuits or pine needles can trigger happy memories.
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