Multi-disciplinary study highlights need for specialised rehabilitation services for patients with young-onset dementia

Recently published paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health provides a synthesis of knowledge on current evidence-based rehabilitative therapies for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia, and posterior cortical atrophy.

An article by an international group of multi-disciplinary dementia specialists, including those from NIMHANS, on rehabilitation services for young-onset-dementia (YOD) highlights the urgent need for specialised rehabilitation services tailored to enhance the functionality and quality of life for such patients.

Young-onset dementia affects individuals under the age of 65, presenting unique challenges. Rehabilitation refers to a set of interventions designed to optimise functioning and reduce disability in such patients.

Recently published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the paper provides a synthesis of knowledge on current evidence-based rehabilitative therapies for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia, and posterior cortical atrophy.

The researchers, including Suvarna Alladi and Faheem Arshad from the Department of Neurology and Priya Thomas from the Department of Psychiatric Social Work at NIMHANS-Bengaluru, discuss the characteristics of rehabilitation services for YOD, providing examples across three continents on how these services can be embedded in existing settings.

“Through examples from high- and low–middle-income countries, we show that the provision of rehabilitation services is possible through a variety of different models and modes of delivery through multi-disciplinary care by cognitive neurologists, psychologists, occupational therapists, psychiatric social workers, speech language therapists and other allied health professionals,” Dr. Arshad, Assistant Professor, Neurology, told The Hindu.

The paper highlights the potential of tele-health in making rehabilitation services more accessible, regardless of geographical barriers.

“An additional common barrier for the provision of young-onset-dementia rehabilitation therapies across countries and continents is the shortage of resources that impedes Cognitive Disorder and Memory Units from providing services beyond diagnosis and neurology follow-ups. However, as we show in this paper, rehabilitation services can take many forms, be sustainable (such as using tele-health), be supported by a wide range of rehabilitation professionals, and can be designed flexibly,” the doctor explained.