What Can We Do To Improve Quality of Life of Our Beloved-one?

Occupational Therapy is one of the aids to make life more pleasant for people with Alzheimer\’s Disease or another type of Dementia.

De side effects of this misery also include a social aspect. The sufferers from Alzheimer\’s and other Dementia become more and more dependent of others: their caregivers. The patients lose their own initiative and are getting problems in participation in social activities.

The drugs available for Alzheimer\’s patients only work very temporarily and will have a limited efficacy. The effects are very different from patient to patient.

One of the things we can do is providing some Occupational Therapy, like training to do simple things around the house.

There are several researches that found out that non-pharmacological treatment could have the same or better effects as the effects of drug-treatments for people with dementia.

Occupational Therapy Effectiveness

After a period of Occupational Therapy with older patients with mild dementia and their primary caregivers the following changes were reported:

The patients show an improved daily performance such as:

– more initiative;

– improved motor and process skills;

– less need for assistance.

All having the effect of an increased quality of life and pleasure in performing daily activities.

Concerning the caregivers:

– improved sense of competence;

– improved sense of mastery of the situation;

– improved communication and supervision skills;

– changed cognition on patient\’s behavior and caregiver role.

Which also yielded a sense of an improved quality of life.

Conclusion:

The daily performance, communication, sense of competence and quality of life of an older patient with mild dementia and his or her primary caregiver can be improved by Occupational Therapy.

It\’s necessary to set appropriate goals (suitable for the capabilities of the patient), train the (primary) caregiver and possibly make some adaptations in the physical environment. This way Occupational Therapy can be increasingly successful.

What Makes Occupational Therapy So Useful?

People with Alzheimer\’s disease often have difficulties in completing routine tasks in their day-to-day lives. As mentioned before one, of the benefits of Occupational Therapy is the patient becoming more independent and showing more initiative.

In a Dutch trial the levels of improvement by Occupational Therapy exceed the effects registered in previous trials of medications and other interventions.

So there is no doubt about the value of including this therapy in dementia treatment.

What Are The Possibilities For Friends And Family?

The friends and family of a person with Alzheimer\’s are important, especially when the person still lives at home. It is important for them to learn to cope with the forgetfulness of their beloved-one.

-> Be conscious of their really forgetting things that were so common before. React as if you were a computer program. They can repeat over and over again without ever getting impatient and without ever losing their temper.

Oh yes, it applies on your stamina. On the other hand the more you\’re able to realize they really can\’t help their forgetfulness, the more comfortable you will feel.

-> Look for someone who can advice you on the right exercises for Occupational Therapy that help the person to manage daily activities, including their personal care.

-> Ensure they cannot reach to dangerous items like medications, stairwells and all kinds of flammable materials.

-> Install electrical cooking devices with a timer to prevent fire.

-> Install extra switches on items that also may be dangerous, such as the oven and stove. You can also remove the control knobs, but that makes them difficult to operate for yourself too.

-> Prevent a person with Alzheimer\’s from wandering outside. They can easily lose their way back or the traffic it isn\’t save for them anymore.

Dick Harkes was confronted with Alzheimer’s Disease when his father was diagnosed with this awful ailment. He started collecting information about Alzheimer’s. He likes sharing this information with you. Please visit Occupational Therapy and Alzheimer\’s. Or start at his homepage: All About Alzheimer’s Disease

Dick Harkes knows Alzheimer’s since his father’s diagnosis with the ailment. He collected information about the disease, he now likes to share with everybody. Visit http://www.all-about-alzheimers-disease.com/activities-of-daily-living.html. Homepage: http://www.all-about-alzheimers-disease.com.

Author Bio: Dick Harkes was confronted with Alzheimer’s Disease when his father was diagnosed with this awful ailment. He started collecting information about Alzheimer’s. He likes sharing this information with you. Please visit Occupational Therapy and Alzheimer\’s. Or start at his homepage: All About Alzheimer’s Disease

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: occupational therapy,alzheimers therapy, improved sense,occupational therapy effectiveness