NPunto

24

Authors: Salvador Coscujuela, S

Dementias are syndromes that occur with cognitive impairment in several domains, which usually interferes significantly with the performance and normal functioning of people who suffer from them. This affects family members who will be exposed to significant physical, social, emotional and financial costs during the disease. Patients and caregivers suffer significant losses. The death of the patient is the last, but not the only loss that occurs in this context. Given the large number of losses that occur during these processes, it is of special relevance to know how the grieving process that patients and family members undergo is. Grief is defined as the psychological reaction that occurs after the loss of someone or something significant. It is a normal, natural and non-pathological process. The objective of the present work is to review the literature and the main studies that have been published about grief in dementias. To achieve this objective, a bibliographic search has been carried out in the main databases in order to find all those works that explore the theme of grief, both from the point of view of caregivers and the patients themselves and that refer to both anticipated grief and grief after death. The results of the bibliographic search show that many works focus on some particular aspects or moments of grief. For this reason, the present work has attempted to integrate the main findings and to present grief as a broad and global phenomenon that is present continuously after diagnosis. Studying grief in dementias is essential as it contributes to normalizing natural reactions to losses and makes it possible to explain some symptoms (depressive or anxious, for example) without the need to use a diagnosis of a mental health pathology. In addition to exploring grief, this work will provide alternatives for its evaluation and psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at giving emotional support to the main agents involved.

28

Authors: Sierra Tendero, N

Alzheimer´s disease is a neurodegenerative, chronic, progressive and incurable disease. It is the most common type of dementia today. The moment a person and their family are diagnosed with Alzheimer´s, their life takes a 180º turn. The most effective intervention is made up of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment. Although this intervention will not produce a recovery, it will treat the person´s symptoms, which will positively influence their quality of life. Among the non-pharmacological therapies is Occupational Therapy. The main objective of this is for the individual to achieve the highest degree of independence and quality of life through occupation. The occupational therapist will work holistically, intervening in the cognitive, physical and social sphere. The intervention at home will be based mainly on retraining of daily life activities, home adaptation, a program of cognitive stimulation, psychomotor skills and a leisure and free time program. This treatment will not cure or stop the progression of the disease, but it will improve the quality of life of the person and their main caregiver.

36

Authors: López Trueba, M.M

IAA (Animal-assisted interventions) are the basis of TAA (2), understood as interventions in which an animal is incorporated and used as part of the treatment, as a therapeutic resource, with the straight objective of promoting the improvement in physical, social, emotional and cognitive functions of the user, with the dog (or other animal) as a motivating element. They must always be leaded by a multidisciplinary health professionals team. It also can be defined as an innovative therapeutic process in which the animal is the bond, the bridge, the motivator ... of actions, gestures and emotions that conduce healing or significant improvement processes in people. These projects have the ability to inspire and motivate people to undertake constructive activities which they would not have done otherwise. There are more and more studies that support that therapy as a science and its effectiveness (3). According to Tucker (4), TAA (Animal Assisted Therapy) is a direct intervention with pre-designed objectives for situations of functional dependence, psychiatric or behavioral disorders, where an animal that meets specific criteria participates, as an essential part of the treatment. It is carried out in a wide variety of settings, individually or in groups, using different animals. The presence of a professional who master the animal is required, join a team of health professionals. The whole process must be previously designed and subsequently evaluated. In Spain this therapy is called Companion Animal Assisted Therapy (TAAC). In these interventions (5), the fundamental element is the dog (or other animals) since it is a motivating and stimulating element in itself, a fact that contributed to the development of TAA until its arrival in Europe. James A. Serpell, Director of the Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society at the University of Pennsylvania, at the opening lecture of the VII Congress "Companion Animals, Source of Health," by Affinity, noted that there was a close relationship between the increasing companion animals in households and the changes that are taking place in Western societies. The fact that more and more people are living alone, as well as that there is a greater number of single-parent families and that socialization is reduced due to the lack of spare time available, has favored, according to Serpell, the entrance of animals at home, counteracting with his affection and unconditional love the lack of emotional ties that people are currently experiencing. For this reason, more and more research are being carried out in this field; as well as the applications of TAP (Dog Assisted Therapy) in public institutions such as prisons, schools, hospitals and nursing homes.