‘Quick-win’ rehabilitation techniques aim to improve daily life for those with rare form of dementia

Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects the part of the brain responsible for visual processing and spatial reasoning. It causes significant difficulties with visual tasks such as finding objects, putting clothes on and moving safely through familiar spaces. PCA is often caused by Alzheimer’s disease and has no cure, but people living with the condition can benefit from rehabilitative techniques to compensate for their cognitive impairment and continue doing things that are important for them.

This “how to do it” article, published in Practical Neurology sets out eight simple evidence-based rehabilitation techniques aimed to help clinicians address and support those living with PCA.

These techniques can be used across four different daily challenges: object location, navigation, movement and dressing. They include techniques such as ‘visual cues’, for example adding bright stickers to light switches to aid with object location or sewing bright fabric on the inside of a shirt collar to indicate the back and help with dressing and ‘adaptive clothing’, for example swapping buttons for velcro fasteners to make dressing easier.

The authors also include a decision-making tree to help clinicians choose the best technique for each specific problem as well as vignettes with real case studies and visuals to illustrate how these techniques can be used in practice.

Speaking about the article, lead author, Dr Aida Suárez-González (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) said:  We wrote this piece to help bridge the gap between research, experiential evidence, and clinical practice in treating the disability caused by PCA. The field of cognitive rehabilitation offers many techniques that can be adapted for people with PCA, but clinicians often need specific expertise in this rare dementia to apply them effectively. In this 'how-to-do-it' guide, we provide a structured and detailed approach to administering cognitive rehabilitation for PCA, making it accessible to any practitioner, with or without previous expertise”.

“By promoting and disseminating adapted rehabilitation methods that enhance daily function in people with PCA, we hope to pave the way for a more purposeful and inclusive approach to dementia care.”

Related

• Read in the paper Practical Neurology
• Dr Aida Suárez-González’s academic profile
• UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology

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