In a previous blog, we discussed the impact of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia. As the cause and development of AD is poorly understood, there is currently no cure or definitive preventative measures for the progression of the disease. This places the emphasis on relatives and caregivers to help manage the symptoms and help improve quality of life. The need for this is further reinforced by a recent US study published in the journal “Cognitive and Behavioural Neurology”.
Researchers from the University of Iowa in Iowa City recently conducted a study that involved patients with AD and an equal group of people without AD as a control group. The research team had each participant view 20 minutes of sad movie and 20 minutes of a happy movie afterwards. The participants were to evaluate their emotional states before and after the movies, and these states were then compared. The anticipated emotional responses to each movie were observed.
The participants were then asked how much information about the movies they could recall five minutes after viewing them. Unsurprisingly, the patients with AD could recall significantly less information than the control group participants. Some participants with AD could not recall any information at all and one participant with AD could not recall watching the movies at all. However, regardless of how much information was recalled, participants with AD reported an elevated state of happiness or sadness for up to half an hour after watching the movies. Interestingly, the less they remembered, the longer their elevated emotional state lasted for.
These findings yield significant insights for relatives and caregivers and places more weight on their actions around individuals with AD. It emphasises that it is essential to avoid negative emotions around people with AD and to try to encourage positive emotions as much as possible. If you have a loved one or are caring for someone that is experiencing AD and would like to know more about improving their quality of life, please contact us on 1300MYREHAB (1300 469 794) or at info@myrehabteam.com.au.
Reference: Alzheimer’s: Memories are forgotten, not emotions. [Online] Available at http://www.univadis.co.uk/medical-news/8e74b02f5b35d4d192114a12ae417a80?u=g7Nnk16ewgseZG%2B4W1juJf3WJnKOvJRYPVKIwTKQ6aF%2FksnnjS8%2FUlEbZgV%2FlV48&utm_source=newsletter%20email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=medical%20updates%20-%20weekly&utm_content=17940&utm_term=automated_weekly (Accessed on 29th September, 2014)
Image courtesy of stockimages @freedigitalphotos.net Available from IMAGE @ http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/old-lady-suffering-from-headache-photo-p201743
