Occupational Therapy May Help Dementia Patients

A new study suggested that occupational therapy may a be a promising method for reducing cognitive decline in patients with dementia.

The study included patients who were evaluated 3 months before starting occupational therapy, and were reevaluated 3 months and 6 months after therapy. Researchers used Mini-Mental State Examination, Disability Assessment in Dementia, Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire, the patients’ quality of life, the Zarit scale (caregiver’s burden), and the amount of informal care a patient needed to assess the effects of occupational therapy on dementia.
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Overall, 421 patients in occupational therapy benefited from treatment. The patients remained cognitively stable over time and their functional performances were stable at 3 months, but significantly decreased at 6 months. Likewise, the patients’ quality of life did increase by 3 months but decreased afterwards. Occupational therapy reduced behavioral troubles significantly, and caregivers’ burden and informal care decreased by 3 months and then stabilized.

According to the results, occupational therapy may be effective in reducing psychiatric symptoms and maintaining cognitive function in patients with dementia. Patients with mild stages of dementia benefited the most from occupational therapy.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Pimouguet C, Le Goff M, Dartigues JF, Helmer C. Benefits of occupational therapy in dementia patients: findings from a real-world observational study [published online December 9, 2016]. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. doi: 10.3233/JAD-160820.