The increase in life expectancy and lifestyle changes, such as inadequate
diets, sedentarism and social inequality have contributed to an increase in
neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD has a multifactorial
origin, with a chronic and progressive nature, leading to cognitive and functional
decline, including the gradual loss of autonomy, independence and social function,
severely impairing the quality of life of both patient and family. The disease onset and
progression become a burden on the family and caregivers, requiring an
interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach. AD demands continuous assistance
and increasing burdens during treatment. Health professionals, such as nutritionists,
physical educators, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, neuropsychologists
and speech therapists, offer complimentary therapies, becoming essential for the
prevention of a quick decline in quality of life, and allowing patients with AD to
remain functional and cognitively active for longer. In this setting, the contributions
and actions of various health professionals play a major role in managing AD, and
health actions directed at the elderly should have the prime objective of keeping the
person within their community, together with their families, in the most dignified and
comfortable manner possible. Their transfer to long-stay institutions (asylums,
hospitals, retirement homes and the like) should only be considered when all other
actions have failed. In this scenario, this chapter aims to address the role of different
non-pharmacological therapies administered by a multi-professional health team to delay the deterioration of cognition, autonomy, functionality and independence,
maintaining an acceptable quality of life for the elderly with AD.
Keywords: Aging, Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia, Disability, Elderly,
Interventions, Neuropsychologists, Non-Pharmacological Therapies, Nutrition,
Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Physical Educators, Quality of Life,
Speech Therapy.
