Caregiving and dementia/Topics/GPs and medical specialists

This NPA focuses on GPs and medical specialists in dementia care in the care of people with dementia.

GPs and dementia care
General practitioners are starting to see more patients with dementia. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners discusses the diagnosis and management of dementia in general practice:

"As the population ages, dementia is an increasingly important part of general practice. It is important general practitioners are aware of early detection issues, and understand basic screening as well as the possibility of accessing new treatments and community management for patients with dementia."

The article, Diagnosis and management of dementia in general practice (reprinted from Australian Family Physician Vol. 33, No. 10, October 2004) discusses the assessment and management of dementia using two case studies. The case studies raise issues about screening and accessing the new drugs for a patient with early dementia, care planning, and the involvement of the carer for a patient with more advanced disease.