Vascular dementia - Treating vascular dementia

There's currently no cure for vascular dementia and no way to reverse the damage to the brain that's already occurred, but treatments can help prevent further damage and may help slow down its progression.

When you are diagnosed with dementia, your future health and social care needs will need to be assessed and a care plan drawn up.

This is a way of ensuring you receive the right treatment for your needs. It involves identifying areas where you may need some assistance, such as:

what support you or your carer need for you to remain as independent as possible
whether there are any changes that need to be made to your home to make it easier to live in
whether you need any financial assistance

Treating underlying conditions

The main aim of treatment for vascular dementia is to treat the underlying cause. This will usually involve making healthy lifestyle changes and taking medication.

Treating the underlying condition can help prevent further problems, such as strokes, and may help slow down or stop the progression of vascular dementia if it's diagnosed early.

Lifestyle changes

Adopting a healthier lifestyle should help reduce your risk of experiencing further damage to your brain. This may involve:

eating healthily – for example, following a low-salt diet to manage high blood pressure
losing weight, if you are overweight
stopping smoking, if you smoke
getting fit
cutting down on alcohol

The above links will take you to information and advice on making these lifestyle changes.

Medication

Any medication you're prescribed will depend on the underlying condition you have. You may be offered:

antihypertensives, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and beta-blockers, to treat high blood pressure
statins to treat high cholesterol
antiplatelets, such as aspirin or clopidogrel, to reduce your risk of blood clots and further strokes
anticoagulants, such as warfarin, which can also reduce your risk of blood clots and further strokes
diabetes medication, such as metformin
antidepressants to treat depression

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Reminyl) or rivastigmine (Exelon), which are commonly used to treat Alzheimer's disease, aren't designed to treat vascular dementia specifically, but may sometimes be used.

They can be particularly helpful if you have a combination of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Supportive measures and treatments

There are also a number of therapies that can help make everyday living easier if you have dementia. These include:

occupational therapy to identify problem areas in everyday life, such as getting dressed, and help work out practical solutions
speech and language therapy to help improve any communication problems
physiotherapy to help with movement difficulties
psychological treatments, such as cognitive stimulation, to help improve memory, problem-solving skills, and language ability
relaxation therapies, such as aromatherapy, music or dance therapy, and massage

Read more about living well with dementia.

Legal matters

If you've been diagnosed with dementia, you'll need to make arrangements for your care that take into account the possible decline in your mental abilities. This should include ensuring that your wishes are upheld if you're not able to make decisions for yourself.

You may wish to draw up an advance decision after first receiving a diagnosis of dementia. This makes your treatment preferences known now in case you are unable to do this in the future.

You may also want to consider giving a relative lasting power of attorney. This is the power to make decisions about you if you are unable to.

Advice for carers

If you care for someone with dementia, you may find it helpful to read more about:

respite care, which can allow you to take breaks from caring
legal issues for carers, such as what to do when someone can no longer make decisions for themselves
benefits for carers, such as allowances and tax credits that may be available
looking after someone with dementia