The Dementia Caregiver's Toolbox

Dementia Down Under - Dementia Resources From Queensland

We are all finding answers together to the dementia caregiving challenges.  I received a recent email from a colleague in Queensland Australia about the Dementia Behavior Management Advisory Service (DBMAS) that they have created to help dementia caregivers.  Here is what she had to say.....

Dementia Care Meets Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM) - Part 3: Mind/Body Medicine

Using CAM or Complementary & Alternative Medicine in dementia care can broaden the range of tools we have at our disposal as caregivers to comfort, calm and allow the person with dementia more control over their situation.  Trying the techniques may also help us to raise their self-esteem in the process.  So far, we have defined CAM therapies and given reasons on why they may be a good match to use in persons with dementia.

Our purpose today is to talk about one of the 4 Domains of Knowledge within Complementary & Alternative Medicine:  the group of practices called "Mind/Body Medicine". 

Dementia Care Meets Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM) - Part 2

So now we know what CAM or Complementary and Alternative Medicine is:  a collection of medical and health practices that can be used "in addition to" or "in place of" traditional medicine.  There are many different types that you may have heard of or tried yourself such as:  reflexology, acupressure, tai chi, yoga, massage therapy, using herb & food extracts, meditation, dance therapy, qi gong, music therapy, therapeutic touch, reiki and music therapy to name a few.

So why would we consider using some of these non-traditional methods to possibly help persons with dementia?  Here are a few reasons to look further at the CAM techniques in dementia care: