Study finds simple non-drug interventions help people with Alzheimer's disease
The new study examined four dementia care interventions through computer simulation models.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - The conventional way of taking care of patients who have Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is believed to only involve medication, but now experts are looking at better ways to help care for people without relying solely on medication.
Although medications receive more public attention in comparison, non-medication therapies “are not associated with adverse events including hospitalizations and mortality,” according to a new study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association Trusted Source.
A new study looked at how programs that prioritize helping caregivers of people with dementia may help keep people out of the hospital and in better health.
Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s related dementias affect over 6 million Americans and it is considered to be one of the costliest diseases in the United States. Not only are there costs associated with the use of medication, but there’s a higher risk of these individuals having to use a nursing home, needing additional assistance, and also an increased risk of having to utilize an emergency room or hospital.
By using interventions that don’t require drugs, there’s an effort to reduce not only the cost burden of the illness but also the overall well-being of the patient.
This follows a push from major public health groups to help people with Alzheimer’s and dementia to get care while at their home
What the study found
The new study examined four dementia care interventions through computer simulation models and found that non-pharmaceutical care models saved between $2,800 and $13,000 in societal costs.
These savings come by “reducing time spent caregiving and its associated cost and reducing the out-of-pocket spending – mostly through keeping people at home longer”, said Eric Jutkowitz, PhD, the study’s lead author and associate professor at Brown University’s School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island.
“Nursing home care can be very expensive and many people pay for it out of pocket”, he continued.
Jutkowitz’s team examined four interventions to understand the impact of these non-pharmaceutical interventions: Maximizing Independence at Home, New York University Caregiver, Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care, and Adult Day Service Plus.
These programs allow families to have the training, skills, and support they need to manage the challenges associated with caring for a loved one with dementia conditions.
According to a statement by Brown University, these interventions “have shown to improve quality of life for the caregiver and the person living with dementia, as well as to reduce nursing home admissions, and they are not associated with adverse events such as hospitalizations and mortality.”
Further, these interventions were not only cost-effective from a societal perspective, but they also found that these interventions had little or no additional cost associated with them in comparison to traditional therapies like medications and these programs increase the quality of life of patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
