What treatment and support options are available?

Further information on all such services and options can be found at

Dementia often causes changes in eating behavior. Many people with dementia lose weight because they don't eat enough food or exercise more and therefore need more energy. They eat less because they are less hungry. Or they have a swallowing disorder and can therefore no longer eat what they are used to. Too little or too one-sided food means they lack nutrients and become deficient. As a result, some things in the body no longer function properly. To prevent this from happening, you can seek nutritional advice from a dietician.

You generally have to pay for the consultation with a dietician yourself. However, with some social insurance schemes you can also use dietician services free of charge. All you need is a referral from your general practitioner. Simply ask your social insurance provider or your general practitioner.
    
If you click on the following link, you will find further information on dietology for dementia:

Under the following link you will find a short video in which a dietician introduces her profession:

The occupational therapist will help you if you are no longer able to live your everyday life as you normally would, for example after an accident, an operation or due to an illness. The most important goal of occupational therapy is to improve your personal ability to act so that you can organize and determine your everyday life as best as possible. This involves, for example, activities such as

• dressing and undressing,
• carrying out personal hygiene,
• shopping,
• riding public transportation,
• walking your dog or
• baking a cake for your neighbour.

The occupational therapist supports you in being able to do the things that are important to you in your everyday life again.

Occupational therapists will also advise you if you need assistive devices for healthcare, for example

• for reaching for objects,
• to open screw caps,
• to close buttons and put on stockings or
• if your home needs to be converted to make it accessible.

There are various ways in which you can make use of occupational therapy. Occupational therapists work, for example,

• in outpatient clinics,
• in rehabilitation facilities,
• in hospitals or
• independently in a practice.

Many occupational therapists also offer home visits.

You will need a doctor's referral for occupational therapy, which you can obtain from your general practitioner, for example. You can also obtain a transportation voucher from your doctor. The ambulance will then take you to the therapy and pick you up again. However, you can also go there yourself or with a relative.

The health insurance providers BVAEB, SVS and ÖGK cover the costs of occupational therapy. To do this, you must use the services of a contracted therapist. In the case of a therapist of your choice, you pay yourself and are reimbursed a portion by the health insurance fund. If you are insured with the KFA, you will always have to pay for the therapy yourself. However, you will receive a subsidy from the KFA. Check with your insurance provider.

If you click on the following link, you will find more information on occupational therapy for dementia:

It can be a shock for affected people and their relatives when they are diagnosed with dementia. This is why a psychological treatment method is often useful or necessary. The clinical psychologist can make a diagnosis using various test procedures and treat you accordingly. In order to take advantage of this service, you will need a referral from your general practitioner, a psychotherapist or a specialist in psychiatry or neurology. Psychotherapists can also help you or your relatives after a dementia diagnosis to cope better with the diagnosis, fears and existing or impending limitations. For psychotherapeutic treatment, it is often necessary for you to receive a diagnosis and findings from a clinical psychologist before starting therapy. This involves a detailed interview and psychological tests. You will then receive a report. This contains the necessary information on the dementia diagnosis so that the further course of action can be determined and therapy can begin. If you go to a psychologist or psychotherapist who has a contract with the health insurance provider, you do not have to pay for the therapy. If you go to a psychologist or psychotherapist of your choice, you will have to pay yourself and can claim some of the money back from the insurance provider afterwards. Check with your social insurance provider.

The earlier dementia is recognized, the better the person with dementia can adapt to the resulting limitations. With a suitable treatment or therapy method, you can counteract dementia-related changes or receive support with mental stress. 
For more detailed information, speak to your general practitioner.

People with dementia often experience speech and swallowing disorders. Speech therapy can help to prevent or reduce these disorders for as long as possible.

Treatment can be provided in insurance companies' homes or in a practice, for example. However, many speech therapists also offer visits to your home.

You can get a referral for speech therapy from a neurology specialist or your general practitioner, for example. If you go to a speech therapist with a health insurance contract, the treatment costs nothing. If you go to a speech therapist of your choice, you will have to pay yourself and will be reimbursed part of the money later by your insurance provider. You can find out more about speech therapy for dementia by clicking on the following link:

Music therapy can help to balance anxiety and depressive moods. But music therapy also helps with advanced impairments. People with dementia can often still sing whole songs by heart, even if they no longer speak.

For music therapy for dementia, you need a referral from your family doctor, a clinical psychologist, a psychotherapist or a dentist.

In some hospitals, there are outpatient clinics that offer music therapy. In some federal states there are also outpatient clinics that offer music therapy. Both are covered by insurance and you do not have to pay for them. If you go to a private music therapist, you have to pay for it yourself and will not be reimbursed by the insurance provider.

People with dementia often have orientation difficulties. This can also be due to the fact that they have poor vision but can no longer express this. However, it is particularly important that people can at least see well so that their orientation does not become even worse and they do not fall, for example. This is where an orthoptist can help you: they can improve glasses for people with dementia and give you and your relatives good tips for better vision.

Orthoptists can be found, for example, in hospitals, in so-called vision schools and in some insurance companies' homes or outpatient clinics. There are no costs for you here. If you go to an independent orthoptist, you will have to pay yourself. If you click on the following link, you will find more information on orthoptics for dementia:

Some people with dementia develop movement disorders as the disease progresses. This means that they generally move less and forget certain skills, such as walking safely. This puts them at risk of falling and injuring themselves. Physiotherapy can help to strengthen the body, train balance and practise everyday activities. Physical training also supports brain function.

There are various ways in which you can make use of physiotherapy. Physiotherapists work, for example,

• in health resorts or insurance outpatient clinics,
• in rehabilitation facilities or
• independently in a practice.

Many physiotherapists also offer home visits.

You can obtain a referral for physiotherapy from your general practitioner or from a specialist. You can also obtain a transportation voucher from your doctor. The ambulance will then take you to the therapy and pick you up again. However, you can also go there yourself or with a relative.

If you go to a physiotherapist with a health insurance contract, the therapy is free of charge for you. If you go to a physiotherapist of your choice, you will have to pay for the treatment yourself. However, you will be reimbursed a portion by your insurance provider if you apply for this. Ask your social insurance provider about this.

If you click on the following link, you will find more information about physiotherapy for dementia, for example about training for relatives:

If you click on the link below, you will find further information and a short video on the subject of physiotherapy:

There are also other services that do not have to be provided by members of legally regulated healthcare professions. These can also provide support in the treatment of dementia. If you are already receiving care or support, you can ask the care or support person where these services are available in your area. If you are not yet receiving care or support, ask your local authority or organizations such as Volkshilfe, Hilfswerk, Caritas, Diakonie or the Red Cross. You can also find suitable offers on the Internet: Enter the term together with the name of your town or region in a search engine such as Google.

Example terms:

family member training
aromatherapy
visiting services
exercise programs
biography work
memory training
art therapy
Massages
Reality orientation training
Self-help groups
Senior animation
Snoezelen
Animal-assisted intervention
Validation