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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Aug;30(5):527-32.
doi: 10.1177/1533317514568004. Epub 2015 Jan 14.

The effectiveness of reality orientation in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Carlos Henrique Ferreira Camargo  1 , Filipe Fernandes Justus  2 , Giuliano Retzlaff  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The effectiveness of reality orientation in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Carlos Henrique Ferreira Camargo et al. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2015 Aug.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia. This work aims to assess the effectiveness of reality orientation (RO), a traditional, extensively documented cognitive enhancement technique, when combined with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of AD. Fourteen patients with AD having mild to moderate dementia receiving standard treatment with donepezil were randomly assigned to control and treatment groups. Patients in the treatment group were submitted to weekly RO sessions for 6 months. Cognitive outcomes were assessed based on scores in the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT). Mean CERAD neuropsychological battery, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and CDT scores improved in the treatment group and worsened in the control group. A number of CERAD neuropsychological battery and MMSE scores were statistically significant. Our findings suggest that RO is a valuable long-term complementary intervention for dementia in AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; cognition; dementia; reality orientation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Mean Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery scores for the control group (A) and the treatment group (B) during the 6-month follow-up.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Mean Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores for the control group (A) and the treatment group (B) during the 6-month follow-up.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Mean Clock Drawing Test (CDT) scores for the control group (A) and the treatment group (B) during the 6-month follow-up.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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