A triangulated study on non-pharmacological management of Alzheimer’s disease in Mauritius
AbstractBackgroundDementia is a neurodegenerative disease, with more than 50 million people in the world. Of this, nearly 60% are living in the low and middle-income countries1. Mauritius has a rising population of elderly people, represented as 7.5% above 65 years and it is expected to rise2. Currently, 14,000 people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), show very modest improvements with pharmacological therapies. Alzheimer’s Association in Mauritius, the only NGO, which assist person with AD and offer multiple non-pharmacological therapies (NPT). These include cognitive training, reminiscence therapy, physical activity, socialization among other. Therefore, the influence of NPT were of high interest.MethodA mixed study design composing of 2 studies. Firstly, pre-validated questionnaires such as Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), followed by statistical analysis. Secondly, one-to-one interviews consisting of semi-structured and open questions were audio-recorded. 7 main themes emerged from the data, by thematic analysis. Lastly, a linking process to “match” for similarity and/or compare the “unmatched” results from above mentioned studies. This is known as methodological triangulation in mixed studies.ResultQuantitative data (n=42) analysis showed a direct statistical decline in higher function (IADL) with respect to decreasing cognition. Qualitative study (n=20) emerged with 7 main themes among which ‘dependency in AD’ was a main theme. Mixed study results showed 6 out of 7 main themes were linked to/ matching to statistical results after triangulation.ConclusionNPT is an effective tool in the management of AD in Mauritius. Triangulated studies allowed in depth analysis of the patient.
