[Therapeutic massage on behavioral disturbances of elderly patients with dementia].

OBJETIVE

To know the efficacy of therapeutic massage on behavioral disturbances of elderly patients with dementia.

DESIGN

Literature review.

DATA SOURCE

The literature search was done in six scientific databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library Plus, PEDro, Dialnet, Scopus and CSIC, between 1983 and 2013. The search terms were "massage", "dementia", "therapy", "behavior disorders" and "Alzheimer".

SELECION OF STUDIES

Of the 496 articles analyzed, 11 scientific articles have met the selection criteria. Inclusion criteria were: clinical trials, published in English or Spanish, which had analyzed the effects of massage therapy on altered behaviors in people with dementia.

DATA EXTRACTION

The variables were massage benefits, type of massage and massage lubricant.

RESULTS

Their authors use different massage techniques (effleurage, pétrissage, pressures, frictions and kneading), obtain better conduct disorders (aggression, anxiety, agitation, and resistance to care) of elderly.

CONCLUSIONS

The therapeutic massage can be a complementary treatment in the rehabilitation program for better behavior disorders.