Differentiation and Diagnosis of Dementias

摘要

Jody Agins began her presentation at the Hot Topics conference last August with the statement that persons with dementia have their own reality and our jobs as practitioners is to find a way to make the voices they hear not be scary. She further cautioned not to blanket diagnose someone with dementia, but rather ascertain the type of dementia a patient is experiencing. Dementia is a persistent decline in multiple areas. Symptoms may range from executive functioning (lack of judgment) and visual or auditory hallucinations to mood and personality changes. Symptoms will depend on the type of dementia. Personality changes can be very difficult for families, as they observe their loved one evolve into someone unrecognizable, saying, "Mom would never act like that."