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Touch Shown to Relieve Depression in Dementia
According to a press release from the British Medical Journal (BMJ), massage therapy has, alongside additional practices, been found to be more effective than some drugs in alleviating symptoms of loneliness and depression in people suffering from dementia.
Worldwide, over 50 million people have received a dementia diagnosis. Around 16% of these people also have a diagnosis of a major depressive disorder, and 32% will experience depression symptoms without a medical diagnosis, according to the BMJ which published the findings earlier this year.
Researchers looked at the results of existing trials to compare the effectiveness of drug versus non-drug interventions with typical care or any other intervention aimed at targeting the symptoms of depression in people with dementia. After reviewing 22,138 records, they focused and reviewed 256 studies involving 28,483 people with dementia, with or without a diagnosed major depressive disorder.
The findings show that drug approaches alone are no more effective than usual care, but researchers found 10 interventions associated with a greater reduction in depression symptoms compared with usual care: cognitive stimulation; exercise; reminiscence therapy; cognitive stimulation with a cholinesterase inhibitor (a drug used to treat dementia); multidisciplinary care; psychotherapy combined with reminiscence therapy and environmental modification; occupational therapy; exercise combined with social interaction and cognitive stimulation; animal therapy; and massage and touch therapy.
Three interventions: cognitive stimulation with a cholinesterase inhibitor; cognitive stimulation combined with exercise and social interaction; and massage and touch therapy – were found to be more effective than some drugs.
The BMJ Press Release noted “The authors acknowledge some study limitations, such as being unable to explore severity of depression symptoms or effects on different types of dementia.” “Nor did they look at the potential costs or harms of implementing drug and non-drug interventions…however, notable strengths included the large number of articles reviewed and use of a recognised clinical scale for capturing symptoms of depression.”
Click here to read the full review:
Hello from Lorraine Horton, Chair of MTI
Hi everyone - I have been co-opted into the role of Chair for the last couple of months and wanted to introduce myself and say 'Hello'! I was once Chair of MTI a long time ago, 2009!
So I've been taking time to connect with the MTI Team to find out more about their roles and 'what happens these days'. Also their thoughts about MTI’s priorities, what they feel might need to be addressed, changed or maintained and strengthened. This is particularly so as we have reached this side of Covid and although this will continue to be unpredictable, it feels time to look at MTI's place in the world and what makes it unique.
Firstly, much gratitude to Jennie and Earl who have worked hard to steer us through the incredibly difficult time that Covid has presented for practitioners whose modem of support is through touch. I know it has raised many issues for many of us, preventing some of us from doing what we love to do, not to mention creating a financial burden for many. We know that MTI practitioners and tutors have gone above and beyond to work through this time - whether that's a decision not to work for now, not to teach for now (which was my decision), to work in a limited way when guidance suggested that we could - and some of us may still be cautious about working and still deciding. All important, individual decisions that are equally respected.
C-19 Update: QR Codes
Update to NHS guidance
If you have already printed a QR code you'll have been sent this guidance, but for those that haven't:
Dear venue owner,
Thank you for downloading and displaying the official NHS QR code poster. Since April 2021, NHS Test and Trace has issued over 500,000 alerts to individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19 at a venue they visited. This has made a huge impact on identifying positive cases, breaking chains of transmission and supporting businesses to stay open. Thank you for all your support to make this happen.
Lone Working Safety
Many members work alone, whether that be as a mobile therapist, in a clinic or at home. Director Ros Cope offers a few thoughts on how to keep safe when working alone.
Among all the very necessary effort we put into our business, it is sensible to spend a little time on your safety in your working life.
Welcome from new MTI Board member
Jennie Parke Matheson is the new MTI Board member for the practitioner council. Here she introduces herself and what she is working on for members at this time
Dear MTI Members.
I just want to say hello. Earle and Tim have both stepped down from the MTI Board and I have stepped up – and am now responsible for the practitioner members – which means you! You will find out who the rest of the team are at the AGM in May.
Now that I’ve joined the Board, there are two key things that I want to address and will be working on. Your concerns about CPD in the current climate and continuing to support you through the Covid crisis.
Re CPD, you really don’t need to worry. As you know it’s only 18 hours per year, with a huge variation of elements you can deploy. You may not be able to do actual hands-on classes, but there are masses of other things you can do. Jenny puts frequent updates in your newsletters about CPD. Do please read them. Don’t forget that in 2020 you will probably have watched the Healwell video, done a COSHH course and attended lots of webinars and podcasts about PPE and Covid. Now in 2021 there are new webinars about the vaccine. You each have a different year end depending on when you joined, so cutting across different times of activity – and you can roll excess hours over from previous years.
I will be working with your regional group teams to explore further how they can help with providing online CPD and we hope to generate some sessions from MTI Central too.
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