Considering the Treatments for Dementia

When you or a loved one gets diagnosed with dementia, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. After all, we all have images in our minds about what this diagnosis means and there are a lot of feelings connected to those images. 

What a lot of people don’t realize is that there are treatments for dementia. While it’s not curable, there are things that you can do to slow its progression and help with certain symptoms. Here’s what you need to know to sort through the clutter and figure out what to do next for dementia. 

Medications For Dementia

There are a number of medications that can help with dementia. Different options help in different ways, so you and your doctor will choose the one that’s right in your situation. The Alzheimer’s Society does point out that medications will not help with dementia forever. Often, they improve symptoms for between 6 and 12 months. After that, the symptoms can get worse again even if the person is still taking their medication regularly. 

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Mayo Clinic explains that cholinesterase inhibitors work by making a certain chemical more available in the brain. This chemical helps with judgment and memory, so it can improve some symptoms of dementia. It is usually used for people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, or Parkinson’s disease. 

Memantine

Memantine is a different kind of medication that can also help some people living with dementia. It helps keep levels of glutamate in balance in the brain, which can aid people who are struggling with memory or learning. Sometimes, you might take memantine along with a cholinesterase inhibitor.

Medications for Specific Symptoms of Dementia

Your doctor may also add medications to address specific symptoms often experienced with dementia. If you or your loved one can’t sleep, feels depressed or anxious, gets agitated, or experiences hallucinations, there are medications designed to help with these specific symptoms. 

Other Treatments For Dementia

There are other treatments available to help with dementia. These may not be options for everyone, but it’s important to know what might be available so you can make an informed choice about what you want to try for yourself or your loved one. 

Alternative Treatments

People look to all sorts of treatments to help with dementia and its symptoms. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, these alternative therapies for Dementia can include things like acupuncture, massage, nerve stimulation, light therapy, and more. While these treatments for dementia may not help everyone, some people swear that they make them feel better and even improve dementia symptoms. If you want to, you or your loved one can try these and see if they help. 

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy can help keep you safe and make some tasks easier. It might mean moving things around in your home so you are less likely to fall or learning new ways to do tasks that are part of your daily life. An occupational therapist can also help you prepare for a time when your dementia symptoms might get worse and affect more of your daily life and tasks. 

Cognitive Therapy

Sometimes, therapies that stimulate the brain can help with symptoms of dementia. The National Health Service (UK) points out that these can help people live well while they are also living with dementia. These therapies may involve meeting regularly with a group or working one-on-one with a trained therapist. The person with dementia will be trying to engage parts of their brain that they may not use every day. These therapies are the most helpful early in a person’s journey with dementia.

Get Dementia Care When You Need It Most

Whether you choose to treat dementia or not, you or your loved one may eventually need care beyond what they can get in their own home. This can be a hard transition, but it doesn’t have to feel impossible. 

At Capella of Grand Junction, our team of care partners offers memory care whenever you need it. We combine innovative technology with compassionate care to help our residents live meaningful, fulfilling lives even as they deal with dementia. If you are looking for dementia care that meets you or your loved one wherever they’re at and individualizes all care, reach out today to find out more. We would love to meet you and help you through your journey with dementia.