A non-drug dementia treatment tested in German nursing homes proved as effective as medications in halting progression of disease, a new study reveals.
This new program, dubbed the “MAKS intervention,” included motor stimulation activities (M); activities of daily living (A); cognitive stimulation (K); and a “spiritual element,” which could include music. Residents received this therapy for two hours per day, six days a week.
Using the Erlanger’s Test of Daily Living scale, MAKS proved at least as effective as treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors, investigators said. The study was published in BMC Medicine.
From the January 01, 2012 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News