A different way to tackle dementia
A therapy programme designed to combat the early effects of a disease which comes with a death sentence also aims to provide its sufferers with a better quality of life.
About 60,000 people in New Zealand are diagnosed with dementia, a number that is set to dramatically rise in the coming decades. By 2050, about 170,200 Kiwis are expected to have a dementia diagnosis of some type.
Anna Baylis, of Brains in Action, is doing her part to try and offer a way to fight back against the brain disease.
She runs Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) groups in Taranaki, a treatment focused on improving brain function.
‘‘It’s a treatment for the early stages of dementia.’’
The therapy is based on fun and interactive activities, which aim to keep participants focused, develop or strengthen ways to remember things, while also boosting their mood. Research has shown the therapy is just as effective as antidementia drugs which are prescribed to patients, Baylis said.
Baylis’ background includes training as a occupational therapist in Germany. She also worked in residential care facilities and hospitals there, and in the United Kingdom.
The group therapy programme, which is running in Ha¯wera, runs weekly for one hour, over a seven-week period, at a cost of $45 per session. Individual sessions are also available.
Ten people are set to be trained in the therapy technique this month and Baylis hoped the demand for the programme across Taranaki would also grow. While CST was relatively new in New Zealand, it was a routine treatment for mild dementia patients in the United Kingdom. A typical session she facilitated would involve a ‘‘warm up’’ exercise, where the participants would throw a ball to each other and recite the recipient’s name.
Baylis said the group would also discuss the current affairs or other topics but the purpose was always to bring participants back to the ‘‘here and now.’’
Baylis, who has a history of dementia in her own family, said she had seen firsthand the difference CST can make in people’s lives, including enhancing their wellbeing and ability to communicate with others.
For more information about the therapy, including the referral process, visit www.brainsinaction.co.nz.