Dementia is a collective term for describing a collection of cognitive decline symptoms such as impairment in memory, thinking, and communication. Dementia mostly affects older people of 60 years and above but is not a typical part of aging.
There is no single medication to cure dementia is a combination since it is a combination of symptoms, but doctors prescribe the medicine that helps to alleviate some of the symptoms. They may also collaborate with other medics to treat problems that occur as a result of dementia such as insomnia, irritability, and depression.
Doctors who treat old age conditions including dementia use these types of medicine to relieve symptoms.
- Cholinesterase inhibitors: These help to slow down the breakdown of brain chemicals that control memory and judgment. These inhibitors include donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine.
- Antidepressants: Help to control irritability and alleviate low mood. Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a popular choice for this role.
- Memantine(Nemenda): Memantine helps to control various brain chemicals necessary for memory and learning. Sometimes doctors can prescribe memantine together with donepezil in one combination drug known as Namazaric for moderate and severe dementia.
- Antipsychotic medicines: These medications help in controlling feelings and behaviors such as delusions, aggression, agitation or hallucinations. Haloperidol, aripiprazole, risperidone, and olanzapine are some of the antipsychotic medicine.
- Anxiolytics such as oxazepam or lorazepam to help in easing restlessness and anxiety.
Therapies for Dementia
These non-drug approaches help to relieve several behavior problems and dementia symptoms.
1. Occupational therapyOccupational therapists show patients and their family ways of making their homes safer. They also teach coping behaviors for them to prevent accidents like falls manage new behavior and prepare the patient for dementia progression.
2. Reminiscence therapyReminiscence therapy is recalling of past feelings, thoughts and events to adapt to the current circumstances and improve psychological well-being. It might involve things such as discussing with the loved ones about past events at hometown, school, work life, and hobbies. A conversation might be with one person or a part of organized therapy. The session leader might use things such as photos, items or music that a patient treasures.
3. Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST)CST is a program with themed activities that take place over several weeks within a schedule that a trained career, nurse or occupational therapist plans for improving memory and mental abilities. Every session covers a different topic and mostly involves taking a group of people suffering from mild to moderate dementia through a structured program. The meeting participants perform mentally engaging activities
4. Reality orientation trainingReality orientation is a gradual treatment for older adults with some confusion in their mind to enable t focus on the immediate surroundings. It is an attempt to assist them to reorient by presenting orientation information such as names, time and date. The patients might have signage around the home although a few find it the action to be too much or patronizing. It is good to drop it if it does not work with a loved one.
Home Remedies for DementiaDementia symptoms and behavioral problems in people with dementia will increase over time. These simple home remedies will help to improve the quality of life for patients.
Encourage the patient to exercise- Exercise improves strength and cardiovascular health. Exercise improves brain functionality especially in combination with healthy eating. Physical activity slows progression of impaired thinking and can lessen the symptoms and possible depression.
Engagement in favorite activity- Those who care for patients with dementia should plan their participation in activities that they enjoy such as dancing, painting or gardening. These activities will be fun to them, but they should be what the patient can do without discomfort. They help in enhancing connection with loved ones when they participate in it together.
Caring for a person with dementia will be more comfortable by involving medical professionals and caregivers from the onset.