For patients with dementia who have symptoms of aggression and agitation, interventions such as outdoor activities, massage and touch therapy may be more effective treatments than medication in some cases, suggests a study publishing Oct. 14 in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The systematic review and meta-analysis, led by St. Michael’s Hospital of Unity Health Toronto and the University of Calgary, suggest outdoor activities were more clinically effective than anti-psychotic medication for treating physical aggression in patients with dementia. For patients with physical agitation, massage and touch therapy were more efficacious than usual care or caregiver support.
“Dementia…