Occupational Therapy Treatment for Dementia

Dementia is a debilitating disease in which specific areas of the brain continue to deteriorate. This condition results in significant personal loss including memory retention, language deterioration, decision-making ability, independence, initiative, personality change and social or occupational functioning. This harsh interruption in daily life can be facilitated by an occupational therapist helping the patient and caregivers adapt to better promote an independent, safe and purposeful lifestyle.

Occupational Therapy

• Occupational therapy (OT) is a health care profession that encourages and instructs individuals on how to develop, regain or maintain necessary skills to participate in all facets of life. OT utilizes activities meaningful to the patient to improve strength, coordination, thinking skills, emotional well-being and safety to be as independent as possible. Caregivers can also be assisted by OT by becoming aware of changes needed in a living environment, performing daily activities in different ways and understanding the types of assistance that the patient might need.

Importance of Daily Activities

• Meaningful activity is important. OT therapists work with patients and their caregivers to reduce the barriers in daily functions and facilitate maximum engagement in their environments. This may include enhancing seemingly mundane activities such as meal preparation, shopping or bathing. Being able to perform productive activities helps an individual feel independent, empowered and validated.

Dementia-related Issues

• The Kansas University Medical Center helps to identify common problems with dementia, all which can be helped with occupational therapy. Dementia patients become more and more compromised in their ability to carry out basic activities of daily living. As one's abilities decrease, incentive lessens, inaction increases and fewer activities are completed. An occupational therapist can develop new routines or make modifications or recommendations for change to allow the patient to continue with his daily habits.

Withdrawal

• As the dementia progresses, patients commonly withdraw from engagement in meaningful occupations and activities. Humans are occupational beings, and the lack of meaningful purpose has been associated with poor health, depression and stress-related medical problems. An abundance of unstructured time can lead to increased behavior problems. An occupational therapist can structure the environment, routines and tasks so that they support the individual's ability to engage successfully in day-to-day routines.

Recommendations for Change

• After evaluating a patient and her environment, an occupational therapist will recommend changes to enhance safety and functional capabilities. Aspects that may be reviewed include the amount of supervision the patient needs during a day, the activities a patient should continue to perform or be encouraged to perform, and types of verbal or physical assistance or guidance the caregiver should provide. Safety concerns may include restricting or curtailing driving privileges and use of appliances or machinery, limiting access to stairwells, medications and flammable liquids, or installing grab bars in the bathroom.