Dementia is a terrifying disease that gradually sloughs away the brain and its cognitive abilities. It degrades the quality of life of not only the patients, but that of the caregivers as well. More common in the aged, dementia can be caused by a number of neurodegenerative diseases, most prominently Alzheimer's disease. Though a complete and permanent cure hasn’t yet been discovered, psychological interventions are now increasingly gaining popularity as a therapeutic treatment.
What is psychological therapy?
Psychotherapy or psychological therapy for a patient newly diagnosed with dementia or diseases like Alzheimer's which result in dementia is aimed at helping them come to terms with the disease. They may have pent up negative emotions after the diagnosis including anxiety, depression and anger. Psychological therapy equips them to deal with these feelings.
Through therapy, patients learn how to cope with the effects of dementia and adjust to their condition. Therapists help them utilize their residual abilities to work out ways and means to compensate the cognitive impairment brought on by dementia. In addition, the counseling often extends support to the family and caregivers as well.
The trained and experienced therapists in our clinics in Tampa and Brandon, FL, can lend a helping hand to dementia patients and their families struggling with this debilitating disease. Visit https://www.therapycts.com/blog/ for more details.
Interventions used by therapists
Therapists employ mainly three psychological therapy approaches to help patients:
· Individual therapy –
The one-to-one interaction between the counselor and patient is aimed at helping the latter deal with the disease. In early stages, this includes helping them overcome the depression following diagnosis. As the disease progresses, the therapy becomes more focused on developing individualized solutions to solve the problems and to manage the contingencies brought on by dementia. The methods employed by therapists may be behavioral, emotion-oriented, cognition-oriented or stimulation-oriented, depending upon the needs of the patient. In time, the caregiver may gradually be trained to take on the therapeutic role.
· Group therapy –
When patients interact with others suffering from the same disease under the guidance of a therapist, it has been shown to relieve depression and anxiety to an extent. Knowing that they are not alone in this struggle gives them a feeling of comfort and helps them accept their condition with more equanimity. It provides a platform to vent their feelings among people who can fully comprehend them. Patients can also benefit from the experiences shared by others who have gone through the same path that they have.
· Family and couples therapy –
A sad side effect of dementia in the deterioration and disintegration of personal relationships. It in turn leads to depression, stress and other issues in both the patients and the caregivers. Relationship counseling can help deal with these issues. Therapists meet the family together and separately, and utilize techniques like role playing to help the family understand each other better and find workarounds for the problems they face. By focusing on the strengths, channeling the emotions in the right direction and helping the members become more supportive and compassionate towards each other, a counselor can restore stability in a family on the verge of being pulled apart by the disease.
Collaborative Therapeutic Services (CTS) seeks to maximize clients’ options by offering a variety of services, hours, and service providers with diverse specializations. We offer evening & weekend appointments. Have questions? Contact Us Here or Call 813-951-7346. Located in Tampa, Florida.