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Acupressure could calm patients with dementia, study finds
The practice of acupressure might help calm people suffering from dementia, one study suggests.

A Taiwanese study found acupressure might alleviate the agitations that people with forms of dementia like Alzheimer’s go through. Acupressure is like acupuncture, only using hands instead of needles.

People with dementia are more prone to become angry, yell at others or become violent, they also may take illogical actions such as disrobing in public or wander around lost in the streets.

The effects of dementia are a concern for relatives and caretakers alike, as the agitations put dementia patients at risk of injury. The behavior also makes it harder for family members or nursing home staff to care for them.

For the study, the Taiwanese researchers enlisted the help of 31 dementia patients living in a nursing home. The 31 people were given a 15 minutes acupressure massage twice a day, five days a week. This went on for four weeks.

To compare the effects of acupressure versus another theory the researchers were working on, the researchers visited the same 31 people and talked with them for 15 minutes each day for the following four weeks.

Read more: Acupressure for Dementia Patients