Acupressure can significantly relieve dementia symptoms

Acupressure can significantly reduce agitated behaviour in older patients with dementia, including reductions in verbal/physical attacks and wandering. This study, in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, was based on a 15-minute treatment sessions twice a day for 5 days a week.

Once the 4 week period ended, however, agitation levels started to rise again, suggesting that acupressure needs to be provided on an on-going basis. “Agitated behaviour in people with dementia is a major concern for care-givers ”, said study author Professor Li-Chan Lin. “ It can endanger patients and others, make it necessary for them to be moved from familiar surroundings, and demoralize and psychologically distress care-givers.

People are living longer and, as a result, we will see increased numbers of people with dementia. It is very important that we find interventions that enable us to provide more effective care for them.

The study noted that physical attacks – including pushing, beating, scratching and pinching – fell by 10-fold during the period the acupressure treatment was implemented. Likewise, verbal outbursts and attacks fell by nearly 10-fold as well. Similar patterns were recorded for non-physical and non-verbal agitation, which includes wandering, stealing, undressing, and tearing things.

The acupressure treatment was based on five key pressure points, i.e., Fengchi (GB 20), Baihui (Du 20), Shenmen (He 7), Niguan (Pe 6) and Sanyinjiao (Sp 6). Each acupressure point was pressed for two minutes, using three to five kilograms of pressure.

“ Our study showed that providing patients with acupressure two to five days a week significantly reduced agitated behaviour and wandering”, says Professor Lin. “ This has important implications in future care of dementia patients as it provides an effective option that can be carried out at home or in long-term care facilities ”.

Source: Journal of Clinical Nursing
Posted 24 January 2007 Aphrodite Women’s Health web-site