In a world where the proportion of elderly is drastically increasing each year, dementia has become a major public health issue. For example, according to the World Health Organization, in 2025, 22 million of people could be affected by Alzheimer’s disease and that number is likely to double in 2050. Currently, medical treatments can only slow down the progress of the symptoms but cannot cure the illness. In order to improve the patients’ quality of life, a growing interest has emerged for non-medical interventions.
Nursing a doll, courses to learn new languages, bus rides… A bunch of funny and pretty unusual techniques are proposed in aged-care facilities. Let’s review some of them!
Firstly, let’s talk about “doll therapy”. In some aged-care facilities, a doll therapy program was developed for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Dolls were given to residents and they were asked to take care of it : they could name it, talk to it, cuddle it like a real baby etc. The aim was to promote the patient’s ability to relate with the surrounding world and make them feel more responsible and more active.
This technique showed a significant improvement on patients’ attitudes such as reducing disturbing and oppositional behaviors, enhanced communication between patients and caregivers.
Another strategy consists on proposing courses languages (e.g, vocabulary and grammar notions) to residents, suffering from light to moderate cognitive impairments, which typically run in blocks of 10 weeks, at the rate of one hour a week. This kind of interventions is based on neural plasticity (i.e., brain’s capacity to create new neuronal connections) and tries to stimulate the cognitive functioning of the participants. The participants realize that they are still capable of learning new information which contribute to improve their self-confidence, creates social link and makes them feel happier.
Finally, more sensorial strategies can also be used such as virtual or real simulations. For example, in Haarlem (Netherlands), a care center created a “beach room” in which patients could experience a multisensorial stimulation. They could hear sounds of waves, feel sand below their foots, and could even ate ice-cream ! Everything has been made to make them feel like in a holiday.
All of these interventions are based on preserved abilities of patients and emphasize on coping strategies. They tried to enhance the well-being and quality of life in facilities. Moreover, they valued what residents were in the past, (hobbies, activities which they applied during all of their life). They helped in reducing stress, anxiety and depression, contributing to reduce the prescription of strong medications and physical restraint.
These strategies contributes to create a less terrible vision of Alzheimer’s disease and could be easily replicated. Nonetheless due to economical issues, and lack of time in most of age-care home in France, the application of those non-medical interventions could be restricted.
Clarisse RENAUDIN; Hélène LE CORRE
M2- PPCECC
Key words : Dementia, Non-medical interventions, Aged-care facilities, Well-being
Words we have learned :
Coping strategies: stratégie d’adaptation / de coping
Caregivers: soignants
Aged-care facilities: maisons de retraite
Lack of time: manque de temps
Physical restraint: contention physique