New state-of-the-art intervention programmes for Alzheimer’s could off-set the onset and progress of the disease by up to five years.
Brain Care Ireland has welcomed the introduction of cognitive stimulation theraphy (CST ) by the Alzheimer's Association.
According to Brain Care Ireland, CST is an expansion on what families are already doing but we need to revolutionise our interventions when it comes to Alzheimer’s to the highest possible levels.
Today’s medical thoughts are that a cure for Alzheimer's is distant; so as well as diet and exercise, a pre-clinical approach is necessary along with versatile, lasting, validated intervention.
To achieve a pre-clinical approach Brain Care Ireland, located in the Research and Innovation Centre in NUIG, has a three-minute memory screening test to evaluate a person’s memory. Based on the results, it can place the person on the MCI Remediation and Rehabilitation programme.
Early diagnosis is necessary to provide abundant intervention time as research papers have shown the MCI programme can offset the onset and progress of Alzheimer's by up to five years.
This window is by far the best available as the medication (Aricept ) regime only acts for between six and nine months, is only suited to one in six people, is expensive, and the side effects can be worse than the disease itself.
Brain Care Ireland’s programme can be done anywhere, including in the comfort of your own home, as it monitors progress from anywhere in the world. During the course of the programme, it can, in addition to viewing and monitoring results, do timely three-minute memory tests to track memory progress.
The report, Creating Excellence in Dementia Care, maintains that future policy and practice should be influenced and guided by people with dementia and their families. Alzheimer’s Association is there to help achieve this and according to new policy, individuals and their families are being empowered to choose the interventions they want.
Contact the Alzheimer's Association about having these state-of-the-art programmes available to those who need them.
Apart from keeping a person at home for up to five years, it could save nursing home costs of €52,000 a year and the emotional hassle of daily visits.
Contact Brain Care Ireland, Suite 102, Research and Innovation Centre, NUIG, Galway. Telephone (091 ) 586722 or visit www.braincare.ie
