| Encouraging Alzheimer’s sufferers to take care | | | | A doll can also play a number of roles to the sufferer |
| of plastic dolls may seem like an unusual type of | | | | and they are often referred to as their husbands, |
| therapy but it’s been proving to have a positive | | | | wives, or any other significant person in their life. |
| effect, so much so, it’s aided in reducing | | | | Dolls are, of course, not a cure and the sufferer will |
| patients’ dependency on psychotropic drugs. | | | | not suddenly transform back to their former self |
| When a person develops Alzheimer’s they lose | | | | because of a doll, but they have a marked effect on |
| interest in life, become withdrawn and | | | | sufferers’ behaviour, reducing agitation, |
| uncommunicative. It can become difficult to interest | | | | aggression and wandering. |
| them in activities. | | | | The dolls also stimulate greater communication |
| Doll therapy involves giving a doll to a female patient | | | | between the relatives, staff and the patient. Staff |
| to care for. This may seem, on the outside, | | | | and the patient talk about the doll, its clothes, hair, |
| patronising, but patients can obtain a great deal of | | | | etc. |
| joy and comfort from a doll. Many women | | | | According to the Nursing Times, a care home has |
| sufferers were housewives and due to the | | | | reported to have drastically reduced its patients' |
| unfortunate effects of dementia, many believe that | | | | dependency on psychotropic drugs thanks to |
| they are still young. Patients can often adopt the | | | | alternative treatments including doll therapy. |
| baby and treat it as if it were real; they dress it, sing | | | | Ashcroft Care Home based in Chesterfield, |
| to and interact with it. The latest research suggests | | | | Derbyshire, UK, has reported that it has cut the |
| that the doll brings back happy memories of when | | | | amount of patients using psychotropic drugs from 92 |
| they had been parents. The dolls fulfil a maternal | | | | per cent at the start of 2008 to 28 percent. |
| need. Having a doll can rekindle all types of positive | | | | There is much debate currently with regard to |
| memories and emotions, of loving, of being loved and | | | | psychotropic drugs; they are contentious form of |
| being needed. A person with Alzheimer’s may | | | | treatment as they act on a patients' nervous system |
| still have a need for a role which will give them a | | | | which can cause them to experience mood changes |
| sense of purpose and usefulness. | | | | and other negative side-effects. |
| Through the use of the dolls, it also allows patients | | | | Caroline Baker from the Four Seasons Health Care |
| to release repressed emotions; to explain their | | | | which operates Ashcroft said: "The results we are |
| feelings, as they will often transfer their emotional | | | | seeing from reduced medication and providing |
| state onto the doll. | | | | complementary therapies have been phenomenal. |