The Role of the Physical and Occupational Therapist in Caring for the Victim of Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

The threats that dementia present to us as caregivers center mainly on the lack of predictability of the client's day-to-day responses and the overwhelming sense of loss of a meaningful life as victims regress before our eyes without any sense of hope for cure. The goals of our care must be focused on maintaining as high a quality of life as possible for as long as possible. Interventions are outlined and suggestions are made to help communicate through catastrophic reactions, depression and confusion. The methods of validation therapy are suggested to be superior to reality therapy in communicating acceptance and support for the demented patient who will never again know reality as we know it.