Dementia is challenging for patients and providers alike. This lecture will present a simple framework for understanding the dementia journey, empowering providers to confidently diagnose dementia in the clinic or hospital setting. A simplified staging system will be presented that connects the cognitive skills lost at each stage with the life skills patients lose along the way, along with communication strategies appropriate for each stage which effectively reduce caregiver frustration and improve care to patients. Faculty will cover the psychiatric symptoms of dementia, when to treat, when patients lose the capacity for complicated decision-making during this journey, how to appropriately care for patients who have lost capacity, and recommendations for care facility support appropriate to each stage, including when hospice care becomes appropriate for patients with dementia.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Diagnose dementia
Identify the patient's stage of dementia
Make an appropriate recommendation for care facility support
Recognize caregiver strain
Effectively communicate with a patient with dementia
