Non-pharmacological management of Alzheimer’s disease a qualitative study, in Mauritius

Introduction The major form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In Mauritius it was estimated in 2015 that around 10,000 persons had Alzheimer’s disease from Alzheimer disease International report[1][1]. This represent 16% of the total population and it is expected to rise. Therefore, apart from pharmacological therapies, non-pharmacological treatment (NPT) which can improve cognitive performance such as cognitive training, occupational therapy, reminiscence therapy, are being highly investigated. Aim and objective To determine the outcome(s) and to highlight the effective strategies in the management of Alzheimer’s Disease in Mauritius using NPT. Information obtained from this research will add to the current knowledge and expansion. Materials and methods The only NGO in Mauritius is “Alzheimer’s Association”, from where the persons with AD were recruited. Non-interventional methods of qualitative study involving interviews of person with AD, lasting 30-45 minutes were audio-recorded. An informed consent from the carer or patient-relative prior to starting was ensured. Both semi-structured interviews and open-ended questions were used, relating to NPT. Thematic analysis in qualitative research, followed by coding and decoding raw data. Similar categories of data were grouped and themes emerged. Results In-depth responses of the person with AD related with their experiences, perceptions, opinions, feelings, and knowledge. Qualitative study (n=20) emerged with 6 main themes. Among these, dependency on family identified as an important theme. It has also been associated as an important form of cognitive and functional engagement for person with AD. Discussion Non-pharmacological interventions has an important role to prolong the active age of older individuals, as well as to maintain quality of life. Conclusion There is still a greater demand on the market for non-pharmacological interventions and Mauritius should plan and devise national guidelines to deal with this unmet proportion of elderly so as to curb for future health equality and stability. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement No funding received ### Author Declarations All relevant ethical guidelines have been followed; any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained and details of the IRB/oversight body are included in the manuscript. Yes All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes All data referred to in the manuscript and notes will be made available except patient details and personal information to the publisher [1]: #ref-1