[Therapeutic benefit of touch-massage in the overall management of demented elderly].
This detailed research tries out a "Touch-Massage" action about the studies of reflex and estimates the repercussion this action may have as regards the abnormal behaviour (either in connection with wandering and/or restlessness and/or shouting) of the Elderly who stay in a same place and show cognitive deficiency in connection with an Alzheimer's dementia. In order to check the "intra personal" consequences this action may have, 4 elderly people were chosen and an experimental estimate with different levels was made with them. Two sessions a week of 30 minutes each during 6 months (51 sessions) were suggested that is to say a total of 204 sessions. The effects of this approach regarding the different abnormal behaviour are estimated on one hand from a special clinical grid which assess the different reactions, verbal or not, which occurred during the session. On the other hand the effects are observed directly fifteen minutes after the session. The results are explained, first, for each person and compared between each other; then they are explained according to a collective way regarding the 4 old people. What emerges from all that is that for the whole sessions which were proposed, the activity was accepted at 95%. During the session, the signs showing physical relaxation (59%), sleepiness (34%), research of different manners to communicate with us (59%), stop or decrease of the abnormal behaviour (79%) prove the actual benefit the activity brings during thirty minutes. Fifteen minutes after the session, the signs showing physical relaxation (52%), sleepiness (42%), research of different manners to communicate with us (23%), stop or decrease of the abnormal behaviour (70%) are always significant. In view of the above results, we can stay this new approach using the activity of "Touch Massage" brings a further possibility of nursing care and can help to answer the question "how to take in charge every day an elderly demented patient".
Malaquin-Pavan
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Hôpital Corentin Celton AP-HP.
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D003142:Communication; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008405:Massage; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000451:nursing; D019124:Therapeutic Touch