Alzheimer’s Is On The Rise. Here’s How We Can Help As PTs, OTs, And SLPs.

By Jason DeCesari, PT, DPT, GCS

QAPD Clinical Coordinator

June is Alzheimer’s awareness month, and every day more people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. As frontline clinicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists have a responsibility to care for, educate, and advocate for those living with these diseases. Let’s not allow the beginning of summer to distract us from this responsibility.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that figure is expected to rise to 14 million by 2050. This means that every 65 seconds in the U.S. another individual develops Alzheimer’s disease. It is easy to read these figures and feel helpless or down, but we possess the tools to make a difference in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

IDENTIFICATION OF ALZHEIMER’S IN THE REHABILITATION SETTING

One of the key places that rehabilitation professionals can play a role is in the identification of cognitive impairments early in its presentation. Often, people who are developing cognitive issues and their families will attribute the change to normal aging and fail to seek help.

Symptoms such as a change in memory, mood, planning ability, and social life can be related to normal aging or pathological changes. Helping a patient and their family discern the difference between whether these signs are linked to aging or Alzheimer’s is a place where we as rehabilitation professionals can use our training.

We have the privilege of spending more time with our patients than most providers and this creates an opportunity to see what they may not. The trust we build with patients and their family can bridge the gap from ignoring issues to seeking help. As a clinician, you must be confident in your ability to assess cognition, have hard conversations, and cultivate strong relationships with the physicians in your area.

Early diagnosis is vital to the successful management of Alzheimer ’s disease and other dementias. Each of us has a role. Simple assessment tools such as the Short Blessed Test or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment can be used to quantify cognitive deficits and facilitate a conversation with the patient’s physician. Helping to identify the associated impairments and communicating them to the patient’s physician can ensure that a patient’s needs do not go unnoticed.

EVOLVING STRATEGIES TO MAINTAIN QUALITY OF LIFE DURING ALZHEIMER’S PROGRESSION

The role of the rehabilitation professional does not end with helping to identify cognitive changes in a patient. We can play an integral part in the long-term management of the disease process and ensure that each patient has the best possible quality of life. Early in the progression, this may include adaptive strategies to augment memory, patient education, and environmental adaptation. Each of these interventions can preserve the patient’s ability to remain independent as long as possible.

As the patient’s abilities change, so too must our management plan.

In the middle stages of the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, we can continue to address the patient’s physical and cognitive needs while shifting some of our focus to the others involved in care. Education of family and caregivers can have a monumental impact on the patient and their family. Tools like the Functional Assessment Staging Test are helpful to provide insight into an individual’s cognition based on their function.

When the people around the patient with Alzheimer ’s disease understand the changes that are occurring and how to help manage them, everyone will feel better. We can also help the patient to find and maintain purpose by engaging them in meaningful tasks. Helping the patient to participate in everyday activities can tap into procedural memory and bring back meaningful independence.

Exercise programs, tailored to the needs of the individual, can also help maximize functional abilities and preserve quality of life.

HOW TO APPLY OUR THERAPY SKILLS IN LATE-STAGE ALZHEIMER’S

Late in the disease process, our education and treatment plans evolve further. We can train the family to provide appropriate care, teach them to communicate with their loved one, and continue to enjoy the relationship they have valued for so long. Things that seem simple to a clinician such as positioning strategies, redirection techniques, and communication strategies can mean the world to the people we care for and their families.

Summer brings warm sunny weather and time with family that we all look forward to throughout the year. This is no different for the patients with Alzheimer ’s disease and dementia we care for. If we use our skills to help our patients maximize their mobility, independence, and communication skills they too can look forward to the joys of this summer and many more.