Loving Touch: Treatment for Rejection of Care

Alzheimer’s disease is a major problem for the health care system because its prevalence is increasing with an aging population. There is no effective medication, which would prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease on the horizon, and therefore appropriate care for people with this disease is increasingly important. In addition to cognitive deficits that result in functional impairments and a need for care partner, people with dementia often exhibit behaviors that may be more disturbing than the cognitive deficits. Care partners are most disturbed if people with dementia do not cooperate with their caregiving efforts and reject care [1]. People with dementia may actually fight with care partners if they feel that the care is not necessary, or if they do not understand the care partners’ intentions.