The Role of Touch as Dementia Therapy
Research shows human touch, from hand massage to a simple handshake, can lower stress hormones and reduce agitation in people with dementia.
Hand touching an arm for sensory stimulation
The Role of Touch as Dementia Therapy
The Benefits of Touch
There are several approaches used in dementia therapy. It is fairly well known that touch — whether holding a hand or giving a hug — reflects a form of affection. Research by a professor at the University of California, Berkeley found that the sense of touch plays a fairly fundamental role in human communication. Touch even has benefits for a person's physical health. A hug, for example, has been associated with several benefits, including relieving stress, expressing care, boosting happiness, easing symptoms of illness, and improving blood flow. These benefits also apply to dementia therapy.
For someone living with dementia, human touch plays an important role in improving overall wellbeing. Research has found that just five minutes of hand massage can trigger a physical relaxation response and lower cortisol levels, the hormone the body releases under stress. The sensation of being massaged can also raise serotonin levels, a neurochemical that promotes a sense of calm and reduces anxiety — both important factors in dementia therapy.
Touch and Dementia Therapy
In recent years, a movement has been growing within senior care aimed at reducing reliance on medication in dementia therapy. Beyond not always being effective, medication often carries worse side effects. Instead, senior care practitioners are increasingly turning to non-drug strategies and approaches to help address behavioral symptoms. Personal interaction, including through touch, has become a more widely used method as an effective form of intervention in dementia therapy. Touch therapy, generally in the form of massage, combines health principles with the kind of personal interaction that is essential to improving the wellbeing of people with dementia. Beyond massage, meaningful touch can also be realized through simple everyday interactions such as a handshake, or holding a hand, shoulder, or back. This philosophy and approach is also applied at RUKUN Senior Care.
Human touch doesn't just provide positive benefits — its absence can actually lead to negative physical and emotional effects. Without human touch, seniors may face an increased risk of anxiety, feelings of isolation, and reduced sensory awareness. Seniors with serious medical conditions are among those who need touch the most, as it can help bring them a greater sense of calm and security.
The Benefits of Hand Massage
One study found that a brief hand massage, used as a dementia therapy technique, significantly reduced agitation for a full hour afterward. Hand massage can also help deepen the relationship between a caregiver and a person with dementia. Foot massage, in addition, has been found to promote deep relaxation, reduce pain and anxiety, support better sleep, and provide comfort for people with dementia. One study found that daily foot massage sessions over two weeks successfully reduced agitation, with the positive effects continuing even after the massage sessions ended.
Read Also:
Interacting with People Living with Dementia
Communication Tips for People with Dementia
For people with dementia, touch can serve as a universal way to communicate, helping to encourage positive behavior and increase feelings of safety and comfort. Beyond what's covered here, there are many other approaches that can be used in dementia therapy.
RUKUN Senior Care
Email: info@rukunseniorliving.com
Phone: 021 8795 1525
Reference:
Eldercare Alliance, The Importance of Skilled Human Touch in Dementia Care
Touch plays an important role in improving the overall wellbeing of people with dementia. Research shows even a brief hand massage can lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and raise serotonin levels, which promotes a sense of calm.
A brief hand massage can significantly reduce agitation for a full hour afterward, and can also help deepen the relationship between a caregiver and a person with dementia.
Without human touch, seniors may face an increased risk of anxiety, feelings of isolation, and reduced sensory awareness.
Foot massage can promote deep relaxation, reduce pain and anxiety, support better sleep, and provide comfort. Daily foot massage sessions over two weeks have been shown to reduce agitation with lasting effects.
Touch therapy is part of a non-drug approach increasingly used to help address behavioral symptoms of dementia, as an alternative or complement to medication, which isn't always effective and can carry side effects.