The therapeutic management of non-cognitive symptoms of dementia

Abstract

It is estimated that, with the increase of the life expectancy of the population, one in two people at the age of 85 years old will have a form of dementia. This will represent a real burden for medical systems, and an increasing responsibility for their families and for society. The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia continue to receive insufficient attention. These symptoms can be observed some years before an adequate diagnosis of dementia, and they can be the first signs of alarm before the development of specific cognitive pathology. Patients suffering from dementia can benefit from integrated medical services, specialized care at home or at the hospital, day care services, specialized health services, memory assessment services, psychological and home care therapies, together with a specific drug therapy. Taking into account all of these aspects presented above, the aim of the paper is to analyze if an earlier diagnosis of dementia can be done in clinical practice, because the initiation of earlier treatment, in the mild-to-moderate phase, can lead to a considerable improvement of cognitive functions. In this context, as dementia is diagnosed earlier, an appropriate treatment can also improve the behavioral symptomatology. Also, a multidisciplinary approach can be of real help in assessing, anticipating and managing all these issues.