7 Alternative Dementia Therapies to Help Relieve Symptoms

Dementia is a gradual loss of cognitive skills, including memory, problem-solving, and reasoning. There’s no cure for dementia, but medication, lifestyle adjustments, and alternative therapies can help improve mood and enhance the quality of life for people with dementia and their loved ones. Common causes of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, strokes, and liver failure.

1. Talk Therapy

Talk therapy involves sessions with a trained therapist. Some describe it as psychotherapy or counseling. This type of interactive therapy can improve mood and provide insight into ways to adapt to circumstances.

Talk therapy can provide an opportunity for people with dementia or for their loved ones to discuss their concerns honestly. Your therapist may also ask questions to help you understand and articulate your concerns as you express your thoughts and feelings to your therapist and yourself.

2. Reminiscence Therapy

Reminiscence therapy involves reminding you about things in your own life, particularly pleasant experiences, people, and places. Family members can often provide ongoing reminiscence therapy by talking about past events, looking at photos together, and listening to favorite music together.

This ongoing approach can help improve mood and motivation for people who have dementia.

3. Cognitive Stimulation Therapy

Cognitive stimulation therapy is an established method of care for people with dementia. It’s an approach of incorporating interesting and pleasantly challenging activities into therapy sessions and in daily life. 

The idea behind cognitive stimulation is to maintain cognitive skills through hobbies, tasks, and games.

Cognitive stimulation can involve individual activities in different ways:

• With a therapist
• With a family member
• In group activities at an assisted living facility or nursing home
• Group activities with friends and loved ones

This type of therapy can be especially beneficial when a person who has dementia is interested in the activity and engaged. It’s not necessary to focus on right or wrong answers or high-level skills and challenges as long as a person is happy to participate. 

4. Reality Orientation Training 

Reality orientation training is another dementia rehabilitation and therapy strategy. It’s incorporated with other therapeutic approaches, such as reminiscence therapy. Reality orientation centers around reminding a person of basic facts to help alleviate and avoid confusion and disorientation.

A therapist might begin a session of psychotherapy or occupational therapy by reminding you of the date, your name, the location, and other basic facts that can help you remain oriented to your surroundings. Families are also encouraged to incorporate these reminders into daily conversation.

5. Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a well-established cornerstone of dementia management, particularly in the disease's early stages. If you or a loved one is having difficulty remembering how to manage day-to-day activities or having challenges that could make you unsafe at home or when you’re out, you can learn to simplify tasks and self-care by working with an occupational therapist.

Some of the strategies you may learn could include leaving yourself reminders for appointments and medication, using devices that operate in a simple and familiar way, and wearing even clothes or shoes that are comfortable and easy to pull off and on.

As dementia worsens, chewing and eating can become challenging, which can lead to drooling and choking. Speech and swallow therapy can help you coordinate your chewing and swallowing for ease and safety.

6. Massage

Massage therapy is not an established technique for managing symptoms of dementia. However, a few studies point to potential benefits when caregivers provide massage and gentle touch for their loved ones with dementia.

Massage can provide a sense of security, safety, and reassurance for people with dementia. You and your family can decide whether this would benefit you.

7. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation 

Electrical stimulation has been studied in research experiments as a potential approach for the treatment of dementia symptoms. Most of the experiments involved animals, but the few human studies conducted showed some promising outcomes. 

Electrical stimulation therapy for dementia involves the noninvasive and painless application of electrical impulses to the skin at a preselected area near a nerve, such as the vagus nerve. The procedure takes place on a schedule for weeks or longer, and outcomes are measured by testing cognitive skills with standardized tests after weeks or months of therapy. Though results have been good, this therapy is not established outside of experimental settings.

A Word From Verywell

The purpose of these adjunct practices is not to reverse or undo the progressive symptoms of dementia but rather to optimize the person's baseline function, which can be significantly beneficial for a person with dementia and caregiver alike.

— NICHOLAS R. METRUS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD

Other Treatment Options for Coping With Dementia

Dementia has several established treatment options. Medications approved for treating dementia have some benefits for some people. Several lifestyle adjustments can help reduce symptoms in the short term and may help slow the worsening of dementia. 

Prescription Medications

A few different prescription medications are approved to treat dementia. Clinical trials have shown that these medications can slow the progress of dementia.

Medications approved for treating dementia include:

• The acetylcholinesterase inhibitors Razadyne (galantamine), Exelon (rivastigmine), and Aricept (donepezil): These medications prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is involved in memory and may be deficient in Alzheimer’s disease. 
  
• The NMDA receptor antagonist Namenda (memantine): This medication prevents toxicity to neurons in the brain and is considered neuroprotective.
• The anti-amyloid antibody Leqembi (lecanemab): This medication blocks the formation of amyloid, a protein found in the brain in people with dementia.

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle strategies are a key component of managing dementia. Routines and habits that promote health and wellness can prevent medical problems that could worsen dementia. Additionally, these daily routines are crucial for emotional balance.

Lifestyle strategies to incorporate if you or a loved one has dementia include:

• Sleeping on a regular schedule
• Avoiding conflicts and stress
• Eating foods that are pleasant, familiar, and easy to chew 
• Wearing clothes and shoes that are comfortable and have simple buttons, clasps, or ties
• Considering a toilet schedule
• Going outdoors when the weather is comfortable and pleasant

Keep in mind that these lifestyle modifications should be casual and pleasant—and not forced. For example, though it’s important to stay consistently active, skipping a daily outdoor walk once in a while when you don’t feel like it is fine. 

Summary 

Living with dementia is challenging for both the person who is losing their abilities and for their loved ones and caregivers. In addition to taking prescription medication that’s approved for dementia treatment, you can incorporate lifestyle measures and alternative therapy interventions into your daily life to help slow the progression of dementia and diminish its impact.

Keeping a consistent environment and adjusting to the situation can help maintain safety and security, optimizing quality of life.