A gentle, slow stroke massage can reduce the physical expressions of agitation in those suffering from dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease. Dementia refers to a cluster of symptoms resulting from brain disorders that greatly impair cognitive skills, without causing a loss of consciousness. Although the onset of dementia can occur in mid-life, it is most commonly found in the elderly, leading to institutionalization for the vast majority of sufferers.
Many elderly patients become sensory deprived as their faculties fade away, but the basic need for touch remains constant. As patients lose sensory and cognitive skills, they become unable to interact socially, leading to feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety and agitation. Touch often remains the last bastion of communication when all other avenues have succumbed to the disease. Caregivers who administer massage therapy to patients in the end stages of dementia report having a closer bond with them, as touch fosters feelings of intimacy and emotional connectedness.
Dementia is a slow progression of symptoms, sometimes lasting decades. At the onset, patients experience memory loss, confusion, language problems, changes in mood and difficulty performing daily tasks. This leads to an increase in anxiety and agitation, sometimes causing the patient to act out in ways deemed socially improper. As the disease progresses, physical manifestations of agitation become more common, such as wandering, pacing and resistive behavior.
Recent studies conducted on Alzheimer's patients showed that after receiving a short, gentle hand massage, there was a corresponding increase in the relaxation response. The massage sessions were of limited duration and the residents remained fully clothed. Caregivers reported a significant drop in agitated behavior, most notably in pacing and wandering.
Many patients suffer from loss of appetite as Alzheimer's progresses, causing significant weight loss, resulting in physical frailty. A gentle hand massage given during light conversation was shown to improve appetite within an hour of the patient receiving it. Sleep patterns also become disrupted during the progression of dementia, and massage has been useful in treating insomnia.
Massage can also stimulate the nervous system of Alzheimer's patients, helping to maintain nerve passageways that are in a state of decline due to the disease. A gentle massage provides relief and also aids drug therapies, possibly as a result of increased circulation. A neck and shoulder massage helps to maintain upper body strength and muscle tone, reducing the need for restraints, which is common for those in the advanced stage of dementia. Patients whose disease has rendered them unable to communicate verbally are still able to produce a physical response to therapeutic touch. This response can be used to measure the stability or deterioration of daily function over time, acting as a gauge of a patient's physical health.
In all, the benefits of therapeutic massage for those with dementia provide relief from many aspects of the disease, such as anxiety, agitation, depression, pain and loss of appetite. Massage also serves as a way to remain connected and encourages feelings of tenderness and closeness for those who may not otherwise be able to communicate.
Brandon Thomas is a nationally certified massage therapist and founder of JoyLife Therapeutics. JoyLife Therapeutics provides chair massage, corporate massage, office massage, special event and trade show massage throughout the US.
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