title: Misdiagnosis of senile dementia: denial of care to the elderly.
abstract: Older people who suffer from reversible mental failure may be erroneously diagnosed as senile and consequently may be deprived of adequate medical care. Because this misdiagnosis may have devastating or even life-threatening effects, as the case studies in this article show, social workers for such clients have to function as both skilled clinicians and forceful advocates for thier clients.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011788:Quality of Life; D012947:Social Work; D014481:United States