Today, about 8.4 percent of the 3.2 million Dutch residents over the age 64 have dementia.The researchers specify that the number would be likely to double in the next 25 years. This increase raises questions about their daily care.
In fact, the medication is complicated because there is no curative treatment, it is necessary to implement different therapies to help them to live better with the disease, and to relieve caregivers and the families.
The social impact of this dementia generates the implication of different professionals in the new care.
For example, the Netherlands have been pioneering about the power of relation, childhood memories, sensory aids, soothing music…
In the Haarlem’s care center, a simulating trip in buses or on beaches décor was created.
According to the doctor, for a positive way, in the Moerkapelle’s care center, a room is reserved with bikes connected to a screen to simulate a bike ride.
In Amsterdam, more precisely in the Vreugdehof care center, it is possible to play with a therapy robotic seal. For the creators, this therapy allows the residents to recover some emotions present in their remaining cognitive abilities that they do not have the possibility of expressing because of solitude.
Finally, in Scotland, a care home offers the learning of a new language to its residents. To acquire a new language, we must study new concepts, new sounds etc., and this phenomenon allows our brain to connect many neutral networks to delay the cognitive decline, consequently the advance of the disease.
In fact, according to Thomas Bak, learning a new language could have an impact on the cognitive reserve.
At the same stage of the disease, the therapies will not be as beneficial for all patients. Indeed, each resident will not react in a similar way. This phenomenon can certainly be explained by the concept of cognitive reserve which more or less masks the disease and its evolution. More precisely, the cognitive reserve theory postulates that with identical cognitive impairment, the degree of progression of Alzheimer’s disease (e.g., cerebral involvement) is greater in patients with high cognitive reserve than in those with low cognitive reserve. This reserve is constituted throughout life, especially according to the level of study, occupation, hobbies, social circle etc. (Stern, 2009).
This reserve importantly affects the evolution of cognition with advancing age, especially in demented people.
For example, one study has suggested that for any level of pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, the clinical expression of the latter is less serious in patients with a more advanced level of education. Therefore, regardless of the level of clinical expression, patients with a more advanced level of education are likely to die sooner because they will be diagnosed later (once the cognitive reserve is exhausted) (Stern, 1995).
To offer = Proposer qch à qqn
To mask = Masquer
Cerebral involvement = Atteinte cérébrale
Serious = Sévère
By GOUBEAUD Marie, JOLIVET Alice & SAUVAGEOT Stessy (M2 PPCECC)
Schuetze, C. F. (2018). Take a look at These Unusual Strategies for Fighting Dementia. The New York Times
Sheppard, E. (2018). The care home residents proving it’s never too late to learn a new language. The Guardian
Stern, Y. (2009). Cognitive reserve. Neuropsychologia, 47(10), 2015-2028.
Stern, Y., Tang, M. X., Denaro, J., & Mayeux, R. (1995). Increased risk of mortality in Alzheimer’s disease patients with more advanced educational and occupational attainment. Annals of Neurology, 37(5), 590–595.