Yoga therapy can be used to treat those suffering from dementia, since there are no other effective means to counter this disease properly. This point was highlighted during a support group meeting on Saturday at Sandhya Kirana, an old-age home, to help family members of persons with dementia. The meeting was organized by Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Society of India.
Hari Prasad from Nimhans spoke on how yoga can be used as a therapy, and he gave a presentation on using this method properly. "Currently, there is no single approved treatment method for dementia. I suggest yoga may work," he said.
He highlighted two forms of yoga for dementia patients. One is the preventive method, which addresses risk factors, reduces depression, hypertension and memory impairment. The other is curative, which prevents progression of the disease, improves quality of life and cognition in mild and moderate stages. Depending on the patient and the person's background, the yoga method can be moderated. "Yoga has an overall benefit through various methods like asanas, pranayama, kriya, mudras and meditation. It helps strengthen muscles, improves respiration, etc. It leads to a tranquilized state of mind," he explained. Caretakers of dementia patients were also asked to do yoga. This is because they may get irritated and depressed while taking care of unresponsive patients.
"Yoga is open for all ages," he added.
Source: BANGALORE, Karnataka / The Times of India / April 12, 2009
1 comment:
very interesting!
I'm teaching a gentle yoga class here in italy. Since today I have a new participant with cognitive dementia problems. do you know any article or book where there are more specific tips for these situations?
main problem for me is that this person doesn't follow all the instructions.
thanks
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