Principles for Treating Dementia
The American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry's position statement on principles of care for patients with dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease is organized around five key therapeutic areas:
Disease therapies for Alzheimer's, targeted specifically at aspects of the current pathophysiological understanding of the disease: This section addresses amyloid deposition, postmenopausal loss of estrogen, inflammatory response, oxidative free radicals, brain vascular disease, high cholesterol, and glutamate excitoxicity. | |||||
Symptomatic therapies for cognitive symptoms: This section discusses the use of cholinesterase inhibitors in treating mild to moderate Alzheimer's. | |||||
Symptomatic therapies for other neuropsychiatric symptoms: This section addresses neuropsychiatric symptoms such as agitation, aggression, and delusions and nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions to manage them. | |||||
Provision of and interventions for supportive care to patients: This section covers issues to be addressed with patients, including safety, day-to-day living structure, general medical health monitoring, and advanced care planning. | |||||
Provision of and interventions for supportive care to caregivers: This section covers issues to be addressed with caregivers, including education about Alzheimer's, problem-solving skills, resource assessment, long-range planning, emotional support, and respite. | |||||
