ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: COGNITIVE APPROACHES

This paper examines cognitive theories and the cognitive approach to treatment of patients with Alzheimer's Disease. The paper begins with a brief review of the nature of Alzheimer's Disease. It is then noted that while, historically, it has been thought that there was little to be done in order to improve the functioning of people with this disorder, cognitive theories and cognitive interventions have changed this view. The paper then discuses how cognitive theories have helped to produce greater insight and understanding into the nature of Alzheimer's Disease and related deficits, especially understandings related to the notions that memory is not a unitary phenomenon, that certain types of memory are relatively spared in AD, that conceptual knowledge is largely intact.

In other words, cognitive theories have helped both psychologists and neuropsychiatrists to better understand not only Alzheimer's disease and its related cognitive deficits but also how people, as they age, generally learn and remember. As a result, the cognitive approach has produced intervention techniques and strategies which take full advantage of the principles of learning and remembering. The research examining the effectiveness of the cognitive strategies offered to AD patients as part of their treatment package is reviewed. Based on the reviewed material, several conclusions about cognitive theories and cognitive interventions for AD patients

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with external cues as memory aids. The next section of this paper examines research on various cognitive interventions that have been used with Alzheimer's patients in order to determine the general efficacy of this approach. Cognitive Treatments and Outcomes Research In addition to pharmacologic and other medical treatments, cognitive approaches to remediating the symptoms of AD have been extensively tested. This testing consists of the investigation of diverse cognitive techniques, methods and strategies that are typically used in cognitive rehabilitation training. The most frequently used of these techniques and strategies are listed by Grandmaison and Simard (2003) as visual imagery, errorless learning, dyadic approaches, spaced retrieval techniques, encoding specificity with cognitive support at retrieval, and the use of external memory aids. In an effort to determine the general effectiveness of various programs using these techniques, Grandmaison and Simard (2003) conducted a comprehensive review of the research using one or more of these strategies as part of a cognitive rehabilitation program. Based on their review of the existing research, the authors concluded that generally these programs work well to maintain
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Approximate Word count = 6127
Approximate Pages = 25 (250 words per page)