People with mild to moderate Alzheimer's can benefit from the drug donepezil. This study looked at whether donepezil can help people whose dementia is more advanced.

What the researchers wanted to know: Does donepezil help people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's perform daily activities?

What they did: The researchers analyzed data from the Moderate to Severe Alzheimer's Disease Study, a 219-patient study carried out in Australia, Canada, and France. Patients were randomly assigned to take either donepezil or a placebo for six months. Interviewers asked the patients' caregivers about how well patients could perform basic daily activities like eating and taking a bath.

What they found: Patients who took donepezil declined more slowly than patients on placebo. Patients on donepezil were especially likely to do better on initiation—for example, deciding to bathe without being reminded or deciding to use the bathroom. Patients on donepezil were also more likely to be engaged with others. Caregivers were also less likely to be stressed if the patient was taking donepezil.

What it means to you: Based on some measures, Alzheimer's patients on donepezil appear to live better, and the drug may reduce the stress on caregivers.

Caveats: The author has received honorariums from Pfizer and serves on the advisory board of Pfizer, which also funded the Moderate to Severe Alzheimer's Disease Study. Pfizer makes donepezil (also known as Aricept).

Find out more: The lowdown on donepezil: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

Read the article: Gauthier, Serge. "Efficacy of Donepezil on Maintenance of Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Alzheimer's Disease, and Impact on Caregiver Burden." Geriatrics & Aging. May 2004, Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 34–36.

Article online: http://www.geriatricsandaging.com/