ABSTRACT
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has devastating effects on both the patients who suffer from the disease and on the families who care for them. Despite the great potential of nonpharmacologic interventions for AD patients and their caregivers, research into their efficacy has been hampered by difficulties in identifying appropriate outcomes and difficulties in measuring the outcomes. Applying the rigorous criteria of scientific research, few psychosocial interventions have proven effectiveness. The focus of the interventions should be to avoid excess disability of patients and improve the ability of families to care for them without deleterious consequences to themselves. AD patients commonly manifest a variety of behavioral symptoms, particularly during the middle stages of illness. In the early stages of AD the primary symptom of the disease is memory loss. There have been several clinical reports of cognitive therapy strategies for alleviating depression in AD patients with mild impairment.
