5 Supportive Therapies That Can Help Ease Alzheimer’s Symptoms

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s disease, you may be taking medication to slow the progression of the condition. But now is also a good time to consider other therapies that may help preserve your abilities and enjoyment of life.

Supportive therapies, such as occupational therapy and music therapy, can play an important role in managing Alzheimer’s. “They can help keep someone at their highest level of functioning for as long as possible,” says Lindsay Miller, an occupational therapist at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in Las Vegas.

These therapies tend to work best in the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s, when a person has more of their memory and thinking abilities, says Miller. “That’s the best chance of those sticking, while we can still create those long-term memories,” she says. Ask your care team whether any — or all — of these supportive therapies could be a valuable part of your treatment plan.

In the later stages of the disease, for instance, you may struggle to remember whether you’ve already brushed your teeth or taken a shower. An occupational therapist can help you proactively develop a plan to brush your teeth or shower at 8 a.m. every day, for example, to make these practices an ingrained habit.

“We put those routines into place and make them automatic,” says Miller. “The more automatic something is, the less we have to [rely on] our attention and short-term memory and the higher-level cognitive skills.”

• Answering questions about yourself or personal events
• Having conversations while using pictures or other memory aids
• Identifying the relationship between items
• Interpreting the meaning of words
  

“Even if you have Alzheimer’s, the brain still has some plasticity that allows you to form new connections,” says Charles Bernick, MD, MPH, a staff neurologist with the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in Las Vegas.

“Listening to a song from 30 or 40 years ago or from your childhood can draw on your long-term memory,” says Karen Martinez, PhD, a neuropsychiatrist with the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in Las Vegas. Long-term memory tends to stay accessible further into the disease’s progression than short-term memory. Music “also taps into a person’s emotional network, which can help their mental health,” she says.

As Alzheimer’s progresses, music can also be used for motivation, such as encouragement or a reminder to wake up, take a walk, de-stress, or unwind.

• Creating art based on a theme
• Engaging in group discussions about art
• Visiting art museums to appreciate art 
  

“Some people might be more inclined to do art than others,” says Martinez, “but it’s important to find a way to have a therapeutic outlet for our emotions and mental health.”

Many supportive therapies are accessible through your medical center, says Dr. Bernick, and they aren’t a last resort for late-stage care but rather a valuable foundation for the future. Talk to your doctor about which ones might be the best fit for you and how you can get started.

“I want people to think about their health in a really holistic way,” says Bernick. “These therapies can help complement medication, and all have value.”

They’re also particularly effective with the help of a loved one, such as a spouse or other relative. “A care partner can help implement some of these strategies or help you set things up at home and follow through with them,” says Miller.