Psychiatric assessment of patients with dementia in the community

Abstract

Physical decline and behavioural disturbance in advancing dementia often precipitates hospital or nursing home admission.1 The coexistence of behavioural or psychological symptoms and physical illness requires timely input from a number of professionals in both the health and social services.Numerous rating scales are available to assess different aspects of dementia, including cognition, psychopathology, quality-of-life, and caregiver burden.