What Are the Best Dementia Treatment Options in India?

Dementia is a medical condition in which the person experiences memory loss and language problems. Some patients also lose problem-solving and thinking capabilities. The illness is so severe, it prevents the person from leading an everyday life.

Some of the symptoms of dementia are limited social skills and forgetfulness. Alzheimer’s disease is considered to be the leading cause of dementia.

According to the latest stats, around 4 million people in India have dementia. There are several places where you can go for dementia treatments in India that can be useful to treat dementia at different stages.

Medicines

According to medical experts, drugs are one of the standard dementia treatment in India. Doctors prescribe different medications to dementia patients depending on the severity of the symptoms

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Dementia patients have broken cells that produce acetylcholine, which is the main neurotransmitter in the human brain. The result is that dementia patients have lower levels of acetylcholine.

Cholinesterases are known to breakdown acetylcholine, which further reduces the levels of the primary neurotransmitter. The Cholinesterase inhibitors prevent the breakdown of the compound acetylcholine.

Memantine

The doctor recommends this drug to patients having moderate or severe dementia. It is used to treat Alzheimer’s disease that is the root cause of dementia.

Alternative Therapies

According to medical experts, alternative therapies are the best dementia treatment in India. These treatment therapies work to treat the root causes of dementia. Besides psychiatric treatment, it might also include some medicines to treat dementia.

• Dementia Rehabilitation

The latest medical studies indicate around 4.7 per 1000 people are likely to suffer from dementia as they get older. The MCI to dementia conversion rate is relatively higher, which stands at 14.89%. Due to this factor, alternate therapies have assumed greater importance.

Rehabilitation is known to increase physical function, especially in the case of dementia. According to experts, the best results can be achieved when rehabilitation is done in a familiar environment.

The rehabilitation program should start as early as possible to treat dementia successfully. If you delay rehabilitation, the patient’s functional capacity and thinking ability deteriorate significantly, which lengthens the recovery process.

When the rehabilitation program starts early, you can stop the patient’s mental health deterioration and set the patient on a fast recovery track.

• Holistic Approach

Holistic treatments are considered useful in treating conditions like memory loss. A holistic treatment approach might combine therapies like music therapy, sensory stimulation, and aromatherapy. The holistic treatment considers several things like the patient’s emotions, strengths, preferences, and histories.

As the name suggests, the holistic approach looks at every aspect of the person and not only has his/her brained function or dementia condition. A personalized care plan is set to restore brain functions and memory loss.

Though dementia patients lose communication ability and social awareness, they still have self-awareness and a sense of individuality.

The holistic treatment divides into four sections like environment, diet, communication, and activities. Each section addresses a specific factor of the dementia patient.

• Environment

The environment plays a critical role in the dementia condition. Most dementia patients are fearful and have difficulty or confusion in understanding what is happening around them. The environment factor is treated by designing the environment as per the patient’s needs. For example, visual cues, appropriate lighting, and ambient sounds help create a safe and home-like secure environment.

• Communication

Dementia patients are unable to communicate effectively. They also lose the ability to express their emotions and think logically. The communication ability restoration treatment uses verbal and non-verbal means of communication.

• Diet

Food heals the body. Contrary to the belief, older people need more nutritional support than younger ones. The reason is the aging process and demographics of dementia or other diseases prevent their body from obtaining the right amount of nutrition from a regular diet. The food factor is addressed by customizing diet to meet the individual’s nutritional needs.

Some patients might need a low-sodium diet with fewer carbohydrates. A few may need a nutritionally balanced diet with all proteins, vitamins, and carbohydrates. The program balances the nutritional needs of the patient’s body to accelerate the natural healing process.

• Activities

Dementia patients are known to show disruptive behaviors like anger, agitation, and even depression. These behavior disorders are mainly due to the under-stimulation of the brain and body and boredom. The program’s activity section plans engaging activities and simple exercises to kill the patients’ boredom and help them experience fulfillment.

Lifestyle Changes

Bringing lifestyle changes is also known to treat dementia effectively. According to experts, what is good for your mind and body is right for your brain too. Doctors are known to recommend activities like gardening, dancing, and walking to keep dementia patients active.

The prevalence rate of dementia is different for regions in India. West India has the highest prevalence rate of 2.42%, while East India has the lowest prevalence rate at 0.87%. Due to these high prevalence rates, you need to look for good quality treatment centers for treating dementia. Don’t forget to consult your doctor before choosing any dementia treatment.