Help for Those with Alzheimer ’ s or Related Dementia

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately 5.5 million Americans are now living with the disease, and it is estimated that 16 million people will be living with Alzheimer’s by the year 2050. While deaths from heart disease have decreased by 14% since 2000, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have increased by 89%. It is also interesting to note that 35% of caregivers (family and friends) of Alzheimer’s or other dementia patients report that their own health has declined compared to 19% of caregivers of older people with no dementia.
Clearly, we have a crisis on our hands — not just for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, but for their caretakers as well.
So how can we make life at least a little better for these people? One way is through the use of Habilitation Therapy, which the author explains in this article:
A person with dementia can be said to be inhabiting a different world with a different reality than the rest of us. Habilitation Therapy (HT) tells us that they cannot leave there to be with us, no matter how much we may want them to. (Alzheimer’s Association, 2011) It is the job of care partners to be with that person by traveling to their world. This is done by understanding what they are experiencing, and respecting — never negating — their experience.
Unfortunately, according to the article, most people with ADRD (Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia) are not treated with Habilitation Therapy, but ra...

Source: Psych Central - March 19, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Janet Singer Tags: Aging Alzheimer's Disabilities Memory and Perception Neuroscience Alzheimer's disease Dementia Memory Loss Source Type: news