Sacred Heart Senior Living

Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Alzheimer's and Other Dementias

You have to be careful when using aromatherapy for alzheimers and other dementia patients who are taking Aricept. For example, Rosemary aromatherapy has the same effect on the brain as Aricept so doing both may not be good.

The approved alzheimers medications, contrary to popular belief, do not really slow the progression of the disease, they create a temporary chemical change they may have some benefit short term in helping someone function better but do not slow down the formation of plaque and tau (tangles) both which cause brain cell and neuron death. Most people only see a real benefit from the FDA approved "alzheimer's medications" for a few years at most and some cannot tolerate them at all because of the potential side effects, the biggest being nausea and other GI issues. All that being said, if someone is doing well on the meds, you dont want to stop the medication or introduce something new. If it seems that the medications they are taking aren't giving them a real benefit, then it doesn't hurt to ask their doctor about weaning them off the medication.

There are many non-pharmacological interventions that can be successful in reducing symptom of various dementias- like aromatherapy, light therapy, structured schedule with structured, appropriate actvity, healthier diet along with exercise, music therapy, art therapy, pet therapy, etc.

We practice many of the non-pharmacological interventions mentioned above at Sacred Heart Senior Living and more!

For more information, please call 610-814-2700 to find out about upcoming support groups, educational workshops and how we at Sacred Heart calm, comfort or stimulate our residents through non-pharmacological interventions including our activity programming.