Non-Pharmacological Therapies in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease: Interventions on the Patient and the Caregiver

Abstract

Dementia consists of a slow and progressive global, chronic and generally irreversible cognitive deterioration. Memory, reasoning, behavior and social skills are compromised and interfere with the normal course of daily life.

The care of a patient with dementia becomes very complex with the progress of the pathology, especially in the home, the care load is particularly heavy for the caregiver, usually a family member and is a cause of physical and psychological stress⁽¹⁾.

In advanced stages, the sick person needs constant assistance and monitoring throughout the day, including night; the institutionalization of the patient is therefore the decisive choice to ensure the safety of the patient and his family⁽²⁾. Hospitalization in the facility is represented by the extreme psychological load of the caregiver (caregiver burden) and the inability to manage sudden violent acts and psycho-behavioral disorders (BPSD) typical of dementia, such as vagrancy, restlessness, agitation, aggression, sleep problems, depression ⁽³⁾.

Non-drug therapies to support dementia are a little known and in-depth topic. In this review of the literature we want to offer a reflection and a contribution on the importance of non-pharmacological interventions on the patient and the caregiver, that can have positive effects on the daily life of the patient and reduce the burden of care for a better quality of life of the patient and the family member who assists him.