Ear therapy and massage therapy in the elderly with dementia: a pilot study

This controlled, longitudinal pilot study from Spain randomly allocated 120 elderly subjects with dementia to one of three groups: a massage (relaxing, applied by a physiotherapist) group, an ear acupuncture group (at Shenmen using ear seeds), and a control group (no treatment). All participants continued with usual care throughout the study period. The effects of therapy were measured according to changes in behaviour, sleep disturbances, participation in rehabilitation and eating, with the participants assessed monthly during the three-month intervention, and at one and two months follow-up. Assessment was conducted by an occupational therapist who was not involved with the study, using a structured questionnaire. The results showed a significant improvement in both the massage and the ear acupuncture groups compared to the control group, which was maintained through the follow-up period. [Aug 2013]