Hubby also suffers from PTSD - veteran and has a psychologist he sees once a month. Lately I have been dealing with some aggressive episodes and the phsycologist want to try bio feed back. Which we started last week - it goes for 26 sessions. He has had good results with other patients suffering from PTSD but he hasn't tried on someone that has dementia along with it. Has anyone else gone this route and if so what were your results?
I have done it for me to some extent but it takes the ability to concentrate and focus. When I would get migraines or couldn't go to sleep is when I would start focusing muscle by muscle to relax the blood vessels. Depending on his abilities to concentrate and remember will decide whether it will work. I really can't see it - I know my husband would not be able to and he is still pretty high functioning.
Amber- I'd suggest you'd do better finding a psychologist who understands how AD limits the brains ability to function. The very mental skills required to employ bio feedback are absent in the AD patient, Any sort of talk therapy or bio feedback are generally regarded as useless with the AD Patient. The patient's inability to recall negates the therapy. Agression in AD Is best dealt with via medication, particularly if the caregiver can anticipe an episode and medicate the patient sooner rather than later
The doctor said that his method doesn't require him to do recall or anything like that. He looks at pictures and while he looks at them the doctor makes adjustments to the connections that are in the cap that is on his head. He has had really good success treating PTSD ...he's the top psychologist in Canada in this field. But with AZ he couldn't tell me what success there would be but I think it is better to try this first before we start doping him up with medication. I want to try to give him the best "quality of life" that I can for as long as I can.
Wow...that would really be something if he could improve someone with AD...a real break through so to speak....Do you get to be in the room with him when he is being tested or whatever they call this procedure??
Please keep us all posted because this could be something really important to the entire AD community. Does the doctor give you informaation from any other professional that has tried this on people with AD?
Forgot to add this: If my dh were just entering this AD condition I would certainly try anything to see if it would help or slow down the progress. There are many things they can still do that they enjoy for years befor things really get bad. Good Luck
I believe what your're referring to in EEG or Neurofeedback when you mention making adjustments to the connections to the cap on his head. BioFeedback requires the mind to concentrate on the control bodily functions too much for any one beyond the very earliest stages. EEG OR Neurofeedback is the stimulus, analysis and reshaping brainwave activity via electrical current and has been used for depression, Anxiety, seizures, ADD, etc. Studies gfor AD use seem mainly in Scotland