If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease , you may feel scared, frustrated, and more. While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s at this time, there are many ways to treat the symptoms and even help manage the disease’s progression.

Treatment options for the behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer’s include drug therapy and non-drug approaches, such as behavioral and environmental modifications. SeventyFour / Getty Images Home Remedies and Lifestyle

Non-drug approaches focus on treating the behavioral, psychological, and emotional symptoms of Alzheimer’s by changing the way you understand and interact with the person with the disease.

These approaches recognize that behavior is often a way of communicating for those with Alzheimer’s. The goal of non-drug approaches is to understand the meaning of the challenging behaviors and why they are present.

Non-drug approaches should generally be attempted before using psychotropic medications since they do not have the potential for side effects or medication interactions. Behavior Assessment

Identify a particular behavior and note what seems to trigger the behavior.1 For example, if a shower always makes your loved one agitated, try a bath instead. Or attempt to offer a shower at a different time of day.

Rather than using medication if someone is upset or agitated, a non-drug approach tries to understand why they might be agitated . Perhaps they need to use the bathroom, are in pain , or think they lost something.

Note what happens right before the behavior, try something different the next time, and track the results. Validation Therapy

You can often avoid escalating troubling behaviors by changing your own perspective. For example, if your loved one is asking to see their mother (who may have been deceased for many years), ask them to tell you about her, rather than force them to confront her death. This is validation therapy, and it can be very effective in calming the person who is upset.2 Validation Therapy for People With Dementia Meaningful Activities People living with dementia may feel lonely or bored at times, and they might not be able to clearly verbalize these […]

How Alzheimer’s Disease Is Treated