Interaction With People, Pets Helps : New Methods Improve Quality of Alzheimer’s Victims’ Lives by Easing Depression

As their minds deteriorate and they become isolated from the world around them, victims of Alzheimer’s disease often fall into a deep depression that further removes them from daily human contact.

Although doctors still do not know the cause or how to slow the progression of the dementing disease, experts have begun developing ways to at least improve the quality of patients’ lives.

And at least one researcher suggests making the most of something as simple as dogs, cats and the cleaning lady.

“It’s very important that these patients have some way to continue to interact,” said Gamal Zaki, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Crisis Intervention Center, a nonprofit research organization in Pawtucket, R.I.

Causes Memory Loss, Dementia

Alzheimer’s disease, which is estimated to affect as many as 5 million people in the United States, causes a progressive memory loss and dementia. Patients eventually die, usually from a complication related to the disease.

While patients suffer severe disorientation and a significant impairment of their short-term memory, their long-term memory is often unimpaired. As a result, many patients like to reminisce, talking endlessly about their past.

Because their families frequently can no longer care for them, many patients end up in hospitals or nursing homes where employees rarely have enough time to interact with them extensively. As a result, they become lonely and withdrawn, Zaki said.

“One of the therapies that is very well accepted now is pet therapy,” said Zaki. “There is a sort of an interactive process that occurs with pets and human beings. They hug them, kiss them and care for them in a very expressive way. They can help bring patients out of depression.”

Help From Cleaning Staff

And while doctors and nurses are often too busy to listen to an Alzheimer’s patient, most institutions have employees who must spend at least 20 minutes a day in each patient’s room cleaning.

This person usually talks to the patients, and often knows intimate details about their lives, Zaki said.

“The cleaning lady talks to the patients every day and knows everybody,” said Zaki.

Because of this, nursing homes and hospitals should consider training such employees so they can enhance this interaction, Zaki said.

“It would be of great help if these people can be trained so they can at least have some skills to deal with these people,” Zaki said.