Abstract

About 160 000 persons living inSwedensuffer from some form of dementia. Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia and affects mostly people in the age of 65 and older. People with some form of dementia have memory problems and may even have other problems as aphasia and behavioral disorders. This may lead to communication problems and difficulties for the people around them. The number of demented people is increasing; it is therefore important to study methods for communication in order to improve the wellbeing for people with dementia. Various interventions with communication methods were analyzed. Methods investigated in the survey include tactile massage, Talking Mats and music therapy. The outcomes of these methods showed less aggression, better attention, better body awareness and increased verbal abilities compared to not using the communication methods. All methods showed increased wellbeing for the patients. Some methods also gave comfort to the caregiver, which led to more involvement and hence better communication between patient and caretaker.