Snoezelen Therapy: Dementia and Alzheimer´s Disease in Canada

The purpose of this literature review is to show the need for more research into the effectiveness of utilizing sensory therapy with elderly adults living with dementia. There has been a significant amount of research and studies conducted on other mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, however, there is a gap in the research regarding sensory therapy and dementia. Having this research conducted could possibly help with the symptoms associated with this debilitating illness.

The quasi-experimental study will be longitudinal and evaluative in nature, evaluating the effectiveness of AAI in persons with dementia over a span of three years. The researcher will seek to follow two hundred dementia patients over 65 over the course of three years, evaluating the impact of Animal-Assisted Intervention, in the form of fish aquariums, on their quality of life and mental state. Participants will be selected that are over 65 and have had a diagnosis of dementia for at least a year. Cluster sampling will be used to select patients from 10 Dallas Fort Worth area nursing homes or memory care facilities. Nursing homes and memory care facilities used in the study will be selected to represent a variety of socio-economic and

The term ‘dementia’ is used to describe a syndrome associated with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities. This includes problems with memory loss, thinking speed, mental agility, language, understanding, and judgment. People with dementia can become apathetic or uninterested in their usual activities, and have problems controlling their emotion. They also fine social situation challenging, lose interest in socialising and aspect of their personality may change. The majority of people who are diagnosed with dementia have either Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia, or a combination of the two. (Source 1) As the disease progresses, the person experiencing dementia becomes more vulnerable and their needs often complex; which requires appropriate care and management (Kitwood, 1997).this leads me to the next distinctive feature of patients with dementia.

An estimated 47.5 million people suffer from dementia. Every 4 seconds one new case of dementia is diagnosed. Dementia is a term that describes certain symptoms such as impairment to memory, communication and thinking. It is a group of symptoms and not just one illness. Even though one‘s chance of getting dementia increase with age, it is not a part of aging. Dementia is usually diagnosed after a series of assessments that includes a physical evaluation, memory tests, imaging studies and blood work. It affects three aspects of one’s mental function, cognitive dysfunction (Problems with memory, language, thinking and problem solving), psychiatric behavior (changes in personality, emotional control, social behavior and delusions) and difficulties with daily living activities (driving, shopping, eating and dressing). “The median survival time in women is 4.6 years and in men 4.1 years” (Warren, 2016).

Providing care for a person with dementia is like being on a roller coaster ride that never ends and the ride can make the caregiver sick. In order to discuss dementia caregiving, a definition of dementia and the impacts of dementia are needed. Dementia is the generic term used by health care professionals to describe a person’s symptoms of memory and judgment issues (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015b) and furthermore is a growing problem in the United States of America (USA) and around the world. Currently 5.3 million people in the USA have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, and dementia numbers are expected to increase by 40% in the next decade (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015a). Dementia care is

The goals the National Social Advocacy Association for Alzheimer’s Patients is to collaborate with long term healthcare facilities in establishing an innovative, comprehensive social advocacy, intervention, and advance treatment programs in healthcare facilities serving or providing Alzheimer’s patients. One that will help stimulate the “Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous Systems sensory” nerves which will increase the cognitive and mobility functions in Alzheimer’s Patients Marieb, (2006). In addtiont to reducing caregiver’s burnouts, eliminate Alzheimer’s patients injuries due to neglect, increase caregiver’s social awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and its risks facts,

Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their

Dementia, defined by the Alzheimer’s Association, is the overall term for diseases and conditions characterized by a decline in memory or other thinking skills that affects a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. More than 250,000 Americans will develop dementia (including Alzheimer 's) when they are sixty-five or older and at eighty-five the risk of developing Alzheimer’s is fifty percent. Since this disease was found in 1907 by Alois Alzheimer, there have been thousands of dollars, research, and clinical trials put into finding a cure for this horrible disease. This literature review examines the effects of the type of Dementia known as

It has been reported that by the year 2030, the number of dementia patients will increase to 75.6 million cases worldwide (Qiu-Yue Wang, Dong Mei Li, 2016). Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia characterized by major brain tissue degeneration. The widespread network of damage that accumulates with age often manifests as anger, depression, anxiety, and other behavioral and psychological symptoms that are difficult to treat through medication (Qiu-Yue Wang, Dong Mei Li, 2016). Art therapy serves as a channel of communication to patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s who have lost their ability to speak or think clearly. Several benefits have been observed through art therapy interventions in patients with a degenerative brain disease such as Alzheimer’s. A study conducted in 2004 showed that patients with severe dementia could effectively improve their visual-spatial abilities as well as delay the progression of the disease through painting and drawing (Qiu-Yue Wang, Dong Mei Li, 2016). Furthermore, it has been reported that the use of antipsychotics could increase mortality and cerebrovascular events among older patients with dementia (Rue-Chuan Chen et al., 2014). Non-pharmacological treatments should not be underestimated when alleviating the burdens of Alzheimer’s on patients. The brain is a infinite network of circuits and connections that change

Along with varying music to achieve different beneficial results from Alzheimer’s patients, there are many different activities that can help engage and improve the mental state of patients with Alzheimer’s from the early stages of the disease’s

Dr. William E. Reichman is a specialized physician having almost 30 years of experience in the care of patients suffering with Alzheimer’s disease and related causes of Dementia. As well as he has done a research focused on Alzheimer’s drug development and the effectiveness of dementia care approaches in institutionalized settings. Since 2008, He has been the President and CEO of Bay crest Health Sciences in Toronto, and a global leader in seniors’ residential living, health care, neuroscience research, and education. He is currently a Professor of Psychiatry in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

CS intervention offers a range of enjoyable activities to people with dementia which focus on general stimulation, concentration and memory usually runs in a social setting (Woods, Aguirre, Spector, & Orrell, 2012). CS was developed based on Reality Orientation (RO). RO was developed in the late 1950s to help inpatient older people with confusion in improving their mental stimulation and QoL (Taulbee & Folsom, 1966). RO adopts the techniques of presentation and repetition of orientation information, in order to provide the person with greater understanding of their surroundings. For example using various visual aids, a facilitator repeatedly presents basic orientation and environmental information include the person name, where they are, the times of the day and year or the weather. RO can operate as a continuous “24 hour” classroom or in groups on a regular basis to provide orientation-related activities to participants (Brook, Degun, & Mather, 1975). The purpose of these orientation-related activities is to establish a group environment (Citrin & Dixon, 1977) and improve patient sense of control and self-esteem (Spector, Orrell, Davies, & Woods, 2001). In one of the earliest studies (Woods, 1979) found that classroom RO led to improvement in cognitive function. Later (Spector et al., 2001) conducted a pilot study to test the feasibility of RO and developed a program of CS therapy based on a systematic evaluation of the literature of RO which identified its key components

Out of the rapidly inclining population in the world, there are people who develop dementia every 66 seconds(“2016 Alzheimer’s Disease”). Being such a common disease in the elderly, there are 47.5 million people in the world with this disease(“2016 Alzheimer’s Disease”). Once families start to realize that their parents and grandparents have developed this, they start to wonder if they are able to live on their own. Within a few months, a decision is made whether if it is best for them to be put into a nursing home. Most often, those with dementia do happen to end up in nursing homes. Many wonder if being put into a nursing home will actually cause their dementia and their ability to live on their own to worsen. With the effects of activities, this could change. Activities help slow the deterioration of the brain(Smith). The activities and exercises performed by nursing homes to help improve the overall cognitive development in dementia patients. Nursing homes should induct purposeful daily activities to improve cognitive, social, and psychological development in dementia care

Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 out of every 8 people in the United States. It is a long and debilitating disease that affects every aspect of a person’s life from the way they preform daily tasks, to the physical and mental abilities that are diminishing. Along with the lifestyle changes that Alzheimer’s disease presents, it also affects one’s psychological perspective as well their view on what they can offer their family and society. There are some ways to maintain a level of independence with a disease of this magnitude but there are also factors in lifestyle choices that can make it worse. Alzheimer cannot be cured, it cannot be slowed, but there are ways to keep the effected person at a certain level of comfort, independence and safety

Dementia is a progressive process, with the symptoms and decline in function often worsening, sometimes rapidly, overtime. Although the elderly population are most frequently affected, many younger patients can also be affected. Currently, no cure, be it medical or behavioural, has been isolated, however certain treatments have proved beneficial in delaying the onset or staying off further rapid deterioration. In addition to pharmaceutical treatment modalities, other support and managerial techniques may enable n enhanced quality of life.