A Brief Note On Degenerative Disorder And Alzheimer s...

Neurocognitive Degenerative Disorder (NDD), formally known as dementia, is a category of conditions marked by progressive or significant cognitive decline that leads to functional decline and loss of independence (Lewis, 2003; Wong Leland, 2016). NDD includes Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s dementia, dementia due to Huntington s disease, normal pressure hydrocephalus, and vascular dementia, with Alzheimer’s dementia being the most prevalent (Lewis, 2003; Simpson, 2014). NDD generally affects the elderly, and thus as the average age of our population continues to rise, the prevalence of NDD will increase right along with it, which calls for health care professionals to be trained in evidence-based interventions for persons with NDD, as well as increased research into cures and effective pharmacological treatments (Simpson, 2014). While there are some pharmacological treatments for NDD, in general they are only modestly effective and often have unfavorable sid e effects, and thus the treatments for NDD are currently nonpharmacological in nature (McLaren, LaMantia, Callahan, 2013; Schmid et al., 2015; Wong Leland, 2016). Occupational therapy (OT), rehabilitation that focuses on helping people be able to participate in meaningful activities of daily life, or occupations, is one approach to nonpharmacological treatments that has many evidence based-interventions for NDD patients (Occupational Therapy Practice Framework 2002). However, it is important to note that OT