Early Diagnosis and Non Pharmacological Treatment

in People with Dementia

1
Fachrizal Zulfikar Ilmi and 2Yudha Nurdian
1
Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jember, Indonesia
2
Faculty of Medicine, University of Jember, Indonesia
Coresponding author : Fachrizal Zulfikar Ilmi,
162010101023@students.unej.ac.id

Abstract
Background
The prevalence of age-related health problems is becoming an important public
health concern as proportions of older individuals in populations worldwide grow.
Dementia is one of the causes of disability in the elderly. Dementia is a syndrome
that can be caused by a number of progressive disorders that affect memory,
thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities. Cognitive
function disorders are one of the most common effects. Cognitive disorders and
dementia increase globally and are predicted to increase proportionally more in
developing countries. It is estimated that by 2050 the number of individuals older
than 60 years will be around 2 billion and will cover 22% of the population. Four-
fifths of people over the age of 60 will live in developing countries in Africa, Asia
or Latin America. It is estimated that 35.6 million people currently live with
dementia worldwide and that the number will almost double every 20 years,
reaching 115.4 million by 2050, with the majority living in developing countries.
Of the total number of people with dementia worldwide, 57.7% lived in
developing countries in 2010 and a proportional increase to 70.5% in 2050
according to estimates. As a result, health problems in populations over the age of
60 will increase in the area.
The above problems can be minimized by recognizing early symptoms of
dementia and seeking as early as possible to do treatment to prevent more
complex health problems. Symptoms of dementia are divided into 3 stages,
namely the early stage, middle stage and late stages. the early stage of dementia is
often overlooked, because the onset is gradual. As dementia progresses to the
middle stage, the signs and symptoms become clearer and more restricting. the
late stage of dementia is one of near total dependence and inactivity. Memory
disturbances are serious and the physical signs and symptoms become more
obvious.
There are no treatments currently available to cure dementia or to change
progressively. But treatment can be used to improve the quality of life of people
with dementia to make it better. Many new treatments are being investigated in
various stages of clinical trials. One of the treatments for dementia patients is non-
pharmacological treatment such as massage therapy, music therapy, dance
movement therapy, simulated presence therapy (SPT), cognitive behavioral
therapy (CBT) and other. However, from some non-pharmacological therapies,
wider clinical trials are needed to determine the effectiveness of these therapies.

Conclusion
Dementia is one of the diseases found in older people. Dementia can cause
various disorders for patients, one of which is cognitive impairment. In line with
the increase in the human population aged over 60 years, this will add to the
problems that arise due to dementia in the future. This can be minimized by
recognizing the 3 phases of dementia and taking treatment as early as possible to
improve the quality of life of dementia patients. This can prevent more complex
health problems in dementia patients.

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