Exercise may be better than medication for treating dementia side effects, a new study has found.
The Canadian study of nearly 25,000 patients found those experiencing symptoms of aggression responded better to outdoor activities and massages than antipsychotic drugs.
Exercise helps soothe the stress causing patients to act out, rather than numbing them with drugs, the scientists found.
More than 50 million people experience dementia globally, with approximately two-thirds experiencing symptoms like aggression, agitation and anxiety.
The study found this lowers the quality of life for sufferers, who are institutionalised and experience a mental decline as a result.
Caretakers of dementia sufferers experiencing these symptoms also report a lower quality of life, according to the studies.
Drugs such as antidepressants and antipsychotics are widely prescribed to sedate patients when such symptoms arise, despite increasing the risk of falls, broken bones and death.
The reason for this is the fact aggression and agitation are signs of an issue requiring attention, rather than a random manifestations of the condition.
“Nonpharmacologic interventions may be efficacious because behaviour has meaning, which needs to be uncovered through multidisciplinary assessments and care that addresses underlying needs,” the authors write.
Known as chemical restraint, the practice has been widely condemned recently during the Royal Commission into Aged Care.
The non-drug interventions offer fewer side effects when compared to medication, the authors believe.
