[Non-drug management of Alzheimer's disease]

The recent appearance of drugs offering some efficacy has been a major advance in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. However, non drug therapy of the patients and caring for family members remain the main elements to delay institutionalization. General practitioner has a major role in this approach whose aims are identification and treatment of excess disability, understanding and control of psycho-behavioral manifestations, sustaining and stimulation of cognitive functions and communication, maintaining the patient's autonomy and alleviating of the caregiver's burden. A major point of this approach is to consider the disease manifestations not only as the consequence of brain lesions but also as the impact of the disease on the affective and relational functions of the subject.