How can we treat dementia?

Although there is no known cure for dementia there are treatments to reduce the symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease.

Dementia is the term for a set of symptoms that are typically caused by diseases of the brain. It is Alzheimer’s disease that is by far the most common form of dementia (about 70% of cases) so when we hear about treatments, it is usually for Alzheimer’s Disease.

There are broadly three areas to consider when thinking about treatments:

1. Medication
2. Lifestyle factors
3. Environmental factors

Often a mix of these factors will have the most positive impact on the individual and the best treatment will vary between individuals and also at the stage of the disease.

Medication - there are a few drugs that are regularly used:

• Donepezil, Rivastigmine and Galantamine all work by reducing the effect of an enzyme in the brain and thereby improving nerve communication between cells.
• Memantine also improves the communication between cells but in a slightly different way - it reduces the impact of too much glutamate in the brain.

All of these drugs may work to slow down the progression of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease for a time and are best used in conjunction with the other two forms of treatment.

Lifestyle and Environmental Factors - there is more and more evidence that lifestyle factors not only slow down the progression of dementia but also reduce the risk of developing dementia in the first place. Four areas which can be addressed are:

• Nutrition - a good, balanced diet is essential to staying healthy and enjoying eating and drinking is important for our mental wellbeing. With dementia our tastes may change and our routines can be disrupted. Food and drink is important!
• Socialisation - dementia often makes it harder to maintain social contact but there is clear evidence that social interactions improve our wellbeing.
• Wellness - this includes avoiding stress, doing appropriate exercise to maintain health and mobility, appreciating nature, participating in enjoyable activities and also achieving goals.
• Awareness - this is all about working with what people can do. It Includes training, cues and prompts to support people to be able to complete normal daily activities like personal hygiene, meal preparation etc.

At Right at Home, we have seen some remarkable improvements by just working on these lifestyle and environmental factors and I would definitely recommend focussing on these just as much as the medical treatments.

What is coming in the future?

Although there have been no new drugs for Alzheimer’s Disease approved in the UK for over 20 years, there are a few really promising treatments on the horizon. Lecanemab was approved for use in the US in January and may well be approved for use in the UK before too long. Although none of these new drugs offer a cure, they should significantly slow down the start and progression of the disease.

In the future, treatment is likely to involve a variety of drugs at different stages of the disease. I still see lifestyle factors playing a hugely important role.

Find out a bit more about the impact of the disease and tips for interacting with someone living with dementia by coming along to a future Dementia Awareness session.  

Alastair Shanks, Owner Right at Home GF and Dementia Friends Champion