Treatments - Wellbeing for life

If a person you support is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, the most common type of dementia, they may be offered some medicine, sometimes referred to as anti-dementia medicine. This is a pharmacological intervention.

Alongside, or instead of, medicine, a person with Alzheimer’s Disease, or any other type of dementia, may want to try alternative therapies, otherwise known as non-pharmacological interventions.

Whatever treatment(s) a person chooses, these may need to change as their type of dementia progresses and should always be regularly reviewed.

No new medicines have been licensed in the UK for Alzheimer's Disease since 2002.However, there is a lot of research into new medicine treatments. These aim either to give better relief from symptoms or - if possible - to slow down or stop the underlying disease in the brain.

Remember: There is currently no cure for any type of dementia.

Contents of this mini book:

• Treating Dementia
  
• Pharmacological Interventions
  
• How Pharmacological Interventions Work
  
• Memantine
  
• Is it only people with Alzheimer’s Disease who are offered medication?
  
• Benefits of Pharmacological Interventions
  
• Risks of Pharmacological Interventions
  
• Poly pharmacy
  
• Review, review, review! 
  
• Non-pharmacological Interventions
  
• Non-pharmacological interventions: important considerations
  
• Benefits of Non-pharmacological Interventions
  
• Risks of Non-pharmacological Interventions
  
• Case Study Example
  
• Making Choices
  
• Contributing to Future Treatment Developments