Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia

Ladislav Volicer, School of Aging Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA
2018 OBM Geriatrics  
The number of people having some type of dementia is increasing worldwide, because people live longer, and increased age is the most important risk factor for development of these diseases. Currently, we do not have any effective medications for Alzheimer's disease and other progressive degenerative dementias. This that does not mean that we cannot do anything to help these people, it is actually possible to help them maintain quality of life despite the progressive deterioration of their
more » ... ive functions. Quality of life for people with dementia requires addressing three main areas: psychological needs, medical issues, and behavioral symptoms (Figure 1 ). Psychological needs are addressed by availability of meaningful activities, which provide a reason for people with dementia to get up every morning, increase their self-esteem, and prevent boredom. People with moderate dementia require continuous activity programming for all their waking hours [1] and people with advance and terminal dementias require modified activities of daily living in a group setting, so they are not isolated and are in presence of others [2] . Medical issues in people with advanced and terminal dementia are best addressed by a palliative care approach, which eliminates some aggressive medical interventions that cause more burden than benefits, e.g., cardiopulmonary resuscitation, transfer to acute care setting, tube feeding and use of antibiotics for treatment of generalized infections [3, 4] .
doi:10.21926/obm.geriatr.1804019 fatcat:57tsas5dujgmjpy3aavwfmlumy