[Nonmedical treatment of dementia].

Dementia is a highly prevalent condition. While randomized clinical trials of high quality provide strong evidence for newly developed drugs for dementia, nonpharmacological treatments are investigated mostly in smaller, lower-quality studies although they show promise and are being intensively studied in Europe and the USA. There are indications that programmes based on psychotherapy and neuropsychology can be effective in the early stages of dementia. Ergotherapy during the early and middle stages can delay the loss of abilities for daily living. Validation can ease problems presented by "challenging" behaviour for family members and care personnel. Education of family members has great potential for delaying insitutionalisation and should be integral to every treatment for dementia.