Guidelines For The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Dementia

Alzheimer's Reading Room: Guidelines For The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Dementia

People with mild to moderate dementia (and Alzheimer's) are usually cared for by the family personal care physician and the patient's family. The personal care physician is often very busy and is not a specialist in the area. The family is often ill equipped to take on this task due to lack of formal training, education, and experience. Family caregivers and the primary caregiver usually take a learn as you go approach. A team of physicians, teachers, and researchers have created a set of guidelines for personal care physicians on how to manage dementia once a diagnosis is made. This article should be read by physicians but I found it very helpful as a caregiver. From the caregiver perspective it will help you understand the services you need and help you interact with your family physician to assure that appropriate actions are being taken and treatments rendered.