Late-onset dementia: early diagnosis and drug treatment

In this video we meet John, a keen painter and member of his church choir and learn about how he and his wife are coping with the challenges raised by John’s diagnosis of dementia.

Their account reinforces the need for the diagnosis to be handled sensitively by doctors, but also reveals the positive effects that an early diagnosis can bring. In John’s case, as well as finally giving a name to something that was slowly encroaching on his life, which in itself was positive, the diagnosis has given him access to the drug Aricept.

Messages for practice

  1. Living with dementia, although challenging, can be a positive experience.
  2. It is important that people diagnosed with dementia be appropriately supported.
  3. Medical staff should be aware of the symptoms of dementia to facilitate diagnosis.
  4. Medical staff should not dismiss dementia symptoms as just part of old age, but should treat patients sensitively and seriously and seek a formal diagnosis and appropriate treatments.
     

Who will find this useful?

Carers (both in care homes and domiciliary), GPs and other medical staff, members of the public.

Downloads

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Available downloads:

  • Download video assets including an mp4 version of the video, and a SRT subtitles file
  • What the research says: Early signs and diagnosis
  • Download transcript