A recent study reveals the importance of caregiver in the onset of symptoms of Alzheimer’s patients. The study results suggests that those patients having close relationship with their caregivers are better off in keeping their mental faculties intact than those without a caring one. The emotional bond was found to be as effective as some of the drugs used for the disease.

Constantine Lyketsos, director of the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center explains that having a caring person like a spouse to take care of the Alzheimer’s patient will allow the patients to stay at home. Those who do not have a close caregiver are forced to go to a nursing facility, where they may not get as much attention and emotional bonding as from a relative.

The study does not explain the reasons behind this behavior. Lyketsos warns that this was seen in milder cases of the disease. In milder cases, the close relationship between the patient and caregiver may be the reason for the patient to get more attention and better treatment. It may also be the other way round – the mild form of the disease was helpful in bonding well with the caregiver.

Many studies had been carried out in the past on the welfare of the caregivers, but this is the first time that the relationship between the patient and caregiver is analyzed to find that it affects the progress of the disease in the patient.

During the study, it was seen that the caregiver-patient relationship is most beneficial when the caregiver is a spouse, instead of any other relation. The patient was found to retain the functional and cognitive skills longer, which help them to stay at home rather than go to a nursing facility.

For more information, please visit the source of this article.