title: Are we providing the best possible care for dementia patients?
abstract: Healthcare for patients with dementia is often reactive, poorly organized and fragmented. We discuss opportunities for improvements in the care of individuals living with dementia at home that can be implemented by physicians in their practices today. In particular, we argue that systematic identification and diagnosis of cognitive impairment and dementia in their early stages, coupled with a coherent, evidence-informed management framework, would benefit patients with dementia substantially and ease the burden of their caregivers. We emphasize that dementia influences all aspects of patient care, and each medical decision must be passed through the filter of knowledge that patients with dementia have special needs that can be identified and addressed.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, 1660 South Columbian Way, S-116, Seattle, WA 98108, USA.|University of Washington, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98108, USA.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borisovskaya
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, 1660 South Columbian Way, S-116, Seattle, WA 98108, USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, 1660 South Columbian Way, S-116, Seattle, WA 98108, USA.
authors.forename: Soo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borson
mesh_terms: D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team
keywords: acetylcholinesterase inhibitors; annual wellness exam; bradycardia; cognitive evaluation; dementia; memantine; polypharmacy