Dementia treatment

The text is presented for informational purposes only. We urge you not to self-medicate. When the first symptoms appear, consult a doctor. Recommended reading: “Why not self-medicate?”. Treatment of dementia is the choice of a complex of therapeutic and psychiatric procedures and medications that reduce the intensity of the manifestations of this disease, inhibit the progressive destruction of brain cells and lead to the restoration of the normal process of their functioning. The essence of the treatment of dementia syndrome at a young age is to stop the degradation of brain activity, and in the elderly – to prolong life and improve the quality of life of the patient.

Institutions for the sick

Even with the strongest love and affection, usually family members are not able to provide adequate care for a person with dementia. Many of these patients require round-the-clock supervision, and relatives simply do not have the opportunity to provide it. In addition, the relatives’ lack of medical skills and knowledge to care for a patient with dementia are significant disadvantages. Such patients lose their memory, cease to orient themselves in space and time, feel unwell, and cannot serve themselves. Some families hire carers to care for dementia patients, which makes life a little easier for loved ones, but is not always the best way out for the patient. Specialized clinics, centers or boarding houses for such patients come to the rescue in such situations.

In a specialized hospital, a patient with dementia will receive the full range of medical care and physiotherapy procedures in a timely manner, get a massage, communicate with a psychologist and be provided with the necessary dietary food. Highly qualified specialists of such centers know how to communicate with patients suffering from dementia.

Often, private rehabilitation centers are located in suburban areas, have large guarded parks for walking with patients, which has a beneficial effect on their general well-being and stabilization of the clinical picture of the disease. The institutions have special equipment that allows you to walk without problems even with people with disabilities – immobilized.

The most important role in the drug therapy of patients with dementia in inpatient medical institutions is played by the intake of group-B vitamins, drugs for the correction of hormonal levels, the prevention and treatment of infectious processes in the patient’s body, as well as for the treatment of various pathologies that provoke dementia. The systematic implementation of all procedures and drug therapy are provided for by the individual tactics of treating each patient.

To prevent muscle atrophy, patients with dementia in specialized medical institutions are prescribed and helped to perform special physical activities. At the same time, employees responsible for physical training make sure that patients do not experience overload or injury.

The daily routine in the clinics is planned very clearly, which psychologically calms the patients, setting them up for self-confidence and stability. Stability in sleep mode helps to relax the nerve cells of the brain, which has a beneficial effect on well-being and clarification of the self-awareness of a sick person. The organization of proper nutrition in such sanatoriums often helps patients who cannot chew, swallow, do not remember whether they took food today or not. A clear schedule and qualified staff will help organize good nutrition at any stage of dementia. The menu of specialized clinics for patients with dementia is dominated by light, low-fat food, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, fortified, and its intake is divided into 5 times.

Everyday skills lost by patients during the development of dementia can be restored by an ergotherapist, using methods with proven effectiveness, allowing them to quickly teach patients the necessary actions. Nursing staff take care of people in need of care.

Cultural and social leisure in clinics is given great attention, since loneliness can aggravate the course of dementia. This is often very pronounced in patients who are sick at home, where they are most often alone or alone with the person who cares for them. In private boarding houses, patients and their cultural education are respected, they organize various evenings, hobby groups and cultural programs. The very communication with people with dementia should be very tolerant and balanced, because they have increased resentment.

The functional and simple environment of such clinics takes into account all the factors of life of patients with dementia. The furniture is comfortable to use and safe, ramps are equipped at all entrances, beds are equipped with comfortable mattresses, the buildings have spacious elevators with an elementary control system. Patients are accommodated in single or double rooms.

In general, being in a special medical institution can remind the patient of a vacation in a treatment-and-prophylactic sanatorium with good service. And if at the beginning of the disease more than 80% of relatives do not think about identifying the patient in a medical institution, then with the progression of the disease, it becomes increasingly difficult for relatives to manage patients, they lose strength and patience, realizing that they do not improve the patient’s condition. In special conditions under medical supervision, the stabilization of the condition will be much faster and more efficient, and improvements in the health of a dementia sufferer will begin to appear very quickly.

Methods and means

The main methods of treating dementia, which are used in modern conditions, include drug therapy, psychotherapy, treatment with traditional and alternative medicine, stem cell therapy and vitamin therapy. Each of these methods needs to be considered in more detail in order to understand how it can affect the body of a patient with dementia.

Medications for dementia syndrome

Medical products (drugs, medicines, vitamins, medicines) are mentioned for informational purposes only. We do not recommend using them without a doctor’s prescription. Recommended reading: “Why can’t you take medications without a doctor’s prescription?”. Drug therapy is the basis of all treatment for the manifestations of dementia. Only drugs can physically slow down or speed up certain processes in the brain and the body as a whole, which will help improve the condition.

The most effective drugs are presented in the table of pharmacological drugs used to treat dementia.

These drugs help to eliminate symptoms and help restore brain function, as well as improve cellular metabolism in dementia of any type.

Psychotherapy as a method of treatment

Psychological assistance for dementia greatly enhances the effectiveness of treatment. All persons surrounding a person with dementia should be trained in behavioral, that is, a behavioral type of therapy. Abrupt changes in attitude or environment lead to the patient falling out of the cognitive sphere.

Psychotherapeutic treatment of this pathology involves cognitive rehabilitation (meaning the orientation of the patient in space, training his memory, etc.), a biographical technique, behavioral therapy, validation, and the creation of an environment that is centered on the patient.

Cognitive rehabilitation for dementia is needed only in the early stages of the disease. Subsequently, it no longer has a special therapeutic meaning, since the person ceases to perceive new information. For orientation in space, it is recommended to use auditory or visual markers that will help a person remember the purpose and sequence of any of his actions. In this context, people from the patient’s environment are very important, who should contact him for a long time and instill stability and calmness in him. Children have a very positive influence on these patients.

The biographical technique helps the patient not to forget about his own past. For these purposes, the patient is shown photographs, allowed to smell some smells that were significant for him in the past, turn on his favorite music. Psychological assistance in the case of dementia is based on the reconstruction in the mind of the patient of his own “I”. Validation or respect for the sick person and his personality helps him to feel the importance of his own reality. Surrounding people should demonstrate understanding for every gesture or look of the patient. Trainings on biographical techniques are most often conducted in groups where all participants are at the same stages of the disease.

Psychosocial work with people with dementia is always based on their existing resources. At the same time, it is necessary to abstract as much as possible from the negative in a person’s life and focus on the positive aspects. Depression or aggression in the life of the patient impairs the cognitive sphere. Milenotherapy or centralization on helping the patient with the environment helps to improve the perception of reality due to pleasant associations around people, landscape, comfortable environment and other things. At the same time, stimulation of external activity is required in the early stages, and bodily sensations in the later stages.

ethnoscience

Many patients prefer to treat all diseases with the help of folk remedies. In the case of dementia, this can be tolerated in combination with traditional treatment methods to mitigate adverse drug reactions. There is no proven effectiveness of alternative methods for this disease, but if the patient’s attending physician does not mind, alternative recipes can be used to fortify the body, calm or improve sleep.

At the very beginning of the disease, with the help of certain herbs, it is quite possible to slow down the process of memory decline in the patient. Alcohol tinctures from the following plants in this matter can be very effective:

• ginseng;
• Eleutherococcus;
• lemongrass.

Such drugs not only improve memory, but also increase concentration, contribute to a person’s ability to assimilate new information. All these tinctures are sold ready-made in pharmacies, so you can use them according to the instructions.

In the case of senile dementia at home, you can prepare tinctures and decoctions, as well as take juices from some fruits in their pure form. So, a glass of blueberry juice every day has an excellent effect on memory in case of atherosclerotic changes in dementia. A tincture of elecampane root can reduce the manifestations of dementia that occur due to epilepsy. To prepare it, use 0,5 liters of vodka and 50 grams of roots, insist the finished product for a month, shaking every 5-6 days, and then drink a tablespoon before meals. Also, with dementia on the background of epilepsy, a decoction of the herb of ephedra dvukhkoloskovoy, which is prepared on the basis of a glass of boiling water and 2 tablespoons of herbs, is excellently helped by bringing to a boil and then infusing and filtering for half an hour.

Also for patients with dementia, herbal baths are very useful:

• on the root of medicinal angelica;
• on a mixture of juniper twigs and rosehip root;
• on a mixture of equal parts of pine buds, wormwood, peppermint, lemon balm, calamus root and yarrow.

Ginkgo biloba leaf extract is especially popular for personality changes, since its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect additionally protects human brain cells from decay. Ginkgo slows down memory decline when taken in the form of a tea or taken in various preparations based on it.

Alternative medicine

Alternative treatments for dementia include those treatments that help reduce patients’ anxiety levels and help them relax. Among these approaches, some experts suggest using music therapy, in which listening to music helps to calm down and relax, therapy based on communication with beloved animals, which gives positive emotions, sets in a positive way, aromatherapy with the help of special essential oils, massage and art therapy. , during which a person can create their own work of art.

All of the above alternative treatments are good because they have no contraindications (apart from aromatherapy, which can sometimes cause allergic reactions).

Stem Cell Applications

Stem cell therapy is considered one of the most advanced and effective in all medical practice. Stem cells are cells capable of an infinite number of times to divide and turn into other precursor cells of all cells in the body. When one cell dies, the stem cell gives birth to the next, and this process could be endless if, with age, their stock did not decrease many times in a person. The introduction of stem cells into the body helps to start the natural mechanisms of tissue repair.

Stem cells can be embryonic or somatic.

Somatic stem cells have the ability to replace dead cells of various organs, but each of them is specific only for this organ. Embryonic cells can regenerate tissue cells of any organ.

The formation of embryonic stem cells occurs during the early division of the zygote (embryo). However, their use in the experimental sense was suspended not only because of the moral and ethical aspects, but also because of the possibility of their degeneration into cancer.

In 2012, Nobel laureates Gerdon and Yamanaka discovered the possibility of reprogramming induced pluripotent cells into embryonic cells. Such a transformation erases all the differentiation signals received by the cells in the course of their development, and they can again become any other cells in the human body. Theoretically, the use of stem cells for the treatment of dementia can help restore the cellular structure and associated functional properties of brain cells.

vitamins for dementia

For the treatment of dementia, in addition to specialized drugs, it is required to use an increased dose of certain vitamins that contribute to better absorption of the therapy received by the patient’s body. The most important vitamins in this spectrum are:

• vitamin E, which slows down the progression of dementia, but contributes to the aggravation of vascular insufficiency in patients with cardiovascular problems, which is why it is prescribed in strictly regulated doses;
• omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of death from heart disease, the development of strokes and cognitive failures of vascular dementia, and are found in large quantities in marine fish and nuts;
• ubiquinone (aka coenzyme Q10) with its antioxidant properties, which reduces the manifestations of intellectual life and memory disorders.

Therapy by type of dementia and their severity

The treatment of dementia can vary greatly and depend on the individual patient, the severity of the disease at the time of treatment, and the type of dementia diagnosed. It should be considered in more detail how each type of dementia is treated in mild, moderate or severe stages.

Alzheimer’s type and dementia in Pick’s disease

Since in Alzheimer’s disease and the subsequent occurrence of dementia processes in a patient, the interneuronal connections of the cerebral cortex are disrupted, and neurofibrillary tangles are formed in its cells, the development of the disease gradually leads to the expansion of the atrophied zone. All drug treatment for this type of dementia is aimed at counteracting the formation of toxic protein complexes in cells and at stimulating the emergence of new intercellular connections that will improve the interaction of surviving neurons.

With Alzheimer’s type of dementia, psychotherapy is very important, helping to train memory, often used in the form of specialized computer programs. The mild stage of dementia in Alzheimer’s disease allows the use of methods of social adaptation of the patient. At home, the patient’s life is organized according to a clear schedule, which provides for certain household duties with simple tasks in order to maintain the patient’s existing practical skills and thereby increase his level of self-esteem.

In the moderate stage of Alzheimer’s dementia, the main task is to prevent complications such as depression, hallucinations, delirium, ensuring and monitoring the patient’s safety. A person will need help with household chores, he must be encouraged to observe the rules of personal hygiene. Drug therapy is aimed at inhibiting the process of memory destruction and generating the development and maintenance of intercellular connections.

In the severe stage of such dementia, the patient requires constant care, which also implies the timely prevention of the development of complications. Alzheimer’s disease is not curable, but today it is possible to improve the quality of the patient’s life and extend it for a long period.

In the case of Pick’s disease and subsequent dementia, the whole therapy will be similar to the Alzheimer’s type of disease. However, due to the more severe and aggressive course of the symptoms and stages of this disease and the presence of a syndrome of unmotivated actions, a patient with this type of dementia, in addition to treatment, must be monitored by forensic psychiatrists. In this case, there is a high probability of asocial unregulated behavior of the patient, which is aggravated with age. This is extremely important when choosing a guardian or when drawing up a will for the inheritance of a patient in old age.

Dementia in Parkinson’s disease

Dementia in Parkinson’s disease can develop in only 20% of cases in the late and severe stages of the disease. In this case, it is much easier to prevent its occurrence by adequate therapy of the underlying disease.

The main signs that dementia has arisen in Parkinson’s disease can be considered the occurrence of isolation in the patient, hypochondria, and prolonged depression. At night, hallucinations and delusions may occur, which are partly provoked by drugs used in Parkinson’s disease. The patient may experience suicidal thoughts and later memory lapses.

Dementia is treated in this case with almost the same drugs and methods as the cause of the underlying disease. Since dementia joins only in the severe stage of the disease, the patient is advised to continue taking anticholinergics, as well as Levodopa along with Carbidopa. Depressive states in the third stage of the disease are corrected with tricyclic antidepressants, and hallucinations – with Haloperidol or Risperidone.

The most important aspect of the treatment of both dementia and Parkinson’s disease itself is the competent organization of everyday life and patient care.

Vascular dementia

If vascular dementia is caused by arterial hypertension, then it is very important to choose an effective antihypertensive therapy for the patient, which will keep the patient’s blood pressure at normal values. It is necessary to prescribe drugs that will prevent platelets from sticking together in hypertension or diabetes mellitus, which will improve brain function.

Anti-sclerotic drugs lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, and aspirin preparations eliminate the risk of complications in cases of heart rhythm disturbances.

In vasculitis that causes vascular dementia, it is important to use corticosteroids for treatment, which will reduce the development of dementia.

In the presence of carotid artery stenosis, it is necessary to perform a stenting operation in order to avoid the development of mental abnormalities.

Also, with vascular dementia, symptomatic treatment of the disease is also required. For example, in the treatment of depression, which are provoked by strokes, antidepressants are used. At the same time, in order to avoid side effects from drugs in the form of hallucinations, today only antidepressants are used – inhibitors of serotonin uptake.

With moderate dementia, aggressively excited states often occur as complications in patients. The use of standard antipsychotics in the case of vascular dementia is contraindicated, since they can provoke an increase in aggression. In this case, dopamine receptor antagonists are used, which lower serotonin.

Auxiliary in vascular dementia, psychotherapy is also used. Such techniques are designed to improve the quality of daily life of patients through restorative education. Psychotherapy helps improve speech, improves thinking and memory. However, it must be selected individually, since any failure can cause depression in the patient.

Features of the treatment of young people

Any therapy for dementia at a young age will be more effective if it is prescribed and carried out from the earliest stages of the disease. There are no means for a complete recovery from dementia today in medicine, however, it is possible to get rid of all the symptoms in young patients and slow down the progression of the process.

After the diagnosis of dementia in young people, the necessary therapy is prescribed. It includes medications and rehabilitation procedures of a physical and psychological nature. In case of depression and apathy, antidepressants are prescribed to the patient. The functions lost by the patient are helped by young people to be restored by rehabilitators and psychotherapists. Among the main methods of treatment, physiotherapy exercises are distinguished, which can be carried out at home, creative activities, and an active lifestyle. Drawing, modeling, singing have an excellent effect on the restoration of cognitive functions in young people with dementia. These creative skills develop memory, imagination, creative thinking, and at the same time prevent dementia.

The specifics of therapy in the elderly

Dementia in the elderly must be treated comprehensively, both on an outpatient basis and inpatient small courses. The entire course of therapy should be prescribed by a specialized doctor who is familiar with the clinical picture of the disease, and also knows what pathologies the patient still has in his anamnesis.

With home treatment of dementia, it is very important to follow a certain regimen for the patient. He should have normalized intervals of sleep and wakefulness, an elderly person should not overwork, food should be divided into 5 meals during the day. Regarding food, it is worth noting that it is better to give preference to a menu based on fish, in which there are many substances that stimulate brain activity.

Tomatoes, carrots, garlic, onions, dairy products and nuts are also very useful.

In old age, training is of great importance not only for the body, but also for the mind. The patient is advised to memorize poems or passages from books every day in order to maintain cognitive brain function. You can also use computer testing of memory, solving crossword puzzles, solving puzzles. Experts recommend reducing physical activity to yoga, since this doctrine harmonizes mental and physical life, helps to achieve mutual understanding with one’s own “I”, as a result of which it will be possible to stabilize senile dementia much more effectively.

Medications prescribed by the attending physician for senile dementia should eliminate the symptoms of the disease and improve the quality of life of the patient. With strong excitement or aggression, as well as insomnia and even vagrancy, sedatives are prescribed. Their intake must be closely monitored, as they provoke hypotension in elderly patients. In the presence of delusions or hallucinations, doctors prescribe antipsychotics to patients – antipsychotics. They also aid in patient relaxation and are prescribed depending on compatibility with the patient’s other treatment. Antidepressants are used less often than other drugs in old age, since they have a lot of side effects. Their appointment is associated with the occurrence of severe depressive manifestations. Cognitive brain functions in elderly patients are usually improved by prescribing nootropic drugs. These medicines must be used constantly, since they have both a restorative and protective function in relation to brain cells.

Psychotherapy plays an important rehabilitation and socializing role in dementia in old age. It allows you to gain confidence in yourself and your own strengths, forms an attitude to a further quality life, and eliminates obsession with your own pathology. Very often, among the methods of psychotherapy, art therapy (art therapy), music therapy, and so on are used. Also, older people are advised to purchase a pet that will be dependent on them, which will provoke an increase in brain activity.

Can dementia be cured?

In modern medicine, the question of a complete cure for dementia remains open today. It is known that in 20% of cases dementia develops in people due to other pathologies, for example, toxic poisoning, infectious processes, metabolic disorders, vitamin deficiency, oncology with brain metastases, and depression. If the above pathologies are eliminated in a timely manner and the full course of the necessary treatment is completed, then dementia can go away by itself.

A complete cure for the neurodegenerative type of dementia is impossible, since the death of brain cells in this process is irreversible. The causes of this are Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal or corticobasal degeneration, dementia with Lewy bodies.

Modern doctors do not give up hope to find ways to solve these pathologies in the future, scientists are constantly working in this direction and today there are some of the latest methods of treatment that bring the full recovery from dementia to the maximum under certain favorable conditions. These include gene therapy, vaccine therapy, stem cell therapy, and psychological therapy.

Addressing the problem of dementia is a complex and long-term process, but experts from many fields of science and medicine are actively fighting for an effective method that will provide highly effective treatment for dementia.

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