Acupressure and Montessori activities decrease agitation in dementia patients.(News Notes)(Clinical report)

A Taiwanese study found that agitated dementia patients respond well to a combination of daily traditional Chinese acupressure and Western Montessori-based activities. The study was carried out among 130 institutionalized dementia patients who received once-daily treatments, 6 days a week for 4 weeks. According to the investigators, "the Montessori method is regarded as a successful approach for decreasing agitation and increasing engagement for special care dementia units in clinical practice," based on the reasoning that while engaged in familiar tasks and activities involving sensory stimulation …