Occupational therapy might not be helpful in delaying the functional decline in Alzheimer's disease patients, reports a recent study.
The researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana Center for Aging Research studied the effect of two years of in-home occupational therapy in delaying the decline of physical functions like eating, walking, toileting and bathing in AD patients. It was found that in spite of individualized occupational therapy, loss of functional decline could not be contained or delayed.
Difficulties Of Alzheimer's Disease Patients
AD is a debilitating neurodegenerative dementia often seen in elderly people. Patients suffering from AD not only lose their memory with time but also lose their physical ability to function independently. The study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, emphasizes the difficulties faced by caregivers while dealing with AD patients and the need to look into ways to help them manage the burden.
In an earlier study involving two groups of 180 AD patients at Healthy Aging Brain Center and primary care, the researchers noted that providing best-practice dementia care to patients helped improve their behavioral outcomes and even lessened the stress experienced by caregivers, but did not stop patients' functional decline.
Occupational Therapy For Alzheimer's Disease Patients
For the current study, the researchers made one of the groups receive home-based occupational therapy and observed as a result that the procedures had no positive effect on the patients' physical functionalities.
Dr. Christopher M. Callahan, the corresponding author of the study, noted that as the neurodegeneration progressed in AD patients they eventually lost both their physical and mental abilities to function independently in spite of occupational therapy and individualized care.
Callahan also noted that the study findings were disappointing because a number of short-term studies reported earlier noted that such therapies helped in slowing down the functional decline experienced by AD patients.
Care For Caregivers
Callahan, the founding director of the IU Center for Aging Research, noted that family and society funding is limited for patients and caregivers, and whatever money they have should be used in best possible way "on things that patients and families find the most helpful."
Callahan added that more options are necessary to provide better support for those caring for family members with dementia.
The researchers also noted that modifying homes of the patients in an effort to prevent them from injuring themselves would be of great help to caregivers and would allow patients to stay in a home environment longer.
"Home modifications are relatively expensive but less expensive than a year of care in a skilled nursing home," Callahan said.
