Abstract
Dementia, a disease of the elderly, is characterized by a global decline in cognitive functions. The prevalence of dementia increases with advancing age. India is a country with a large and aging population, and hence the prevalence of dementia in India is around 2.7%. The impact of dementia on the patient, family, and the society is paramount. People with dementia often get stigmatized and discriminated, leading to significant psychosocial stress. Since people with dementia often require constant care, there is a high chance of caregiver burnout. Dementia poses a significant financial burden on the community. The diagnosis of dementia is often delayed. There are assessment scales which help in early diagnosis of dementia. Early diagnosis always gives opportunity for early intervention and helps in preventing social issues that can arise out of an undiagnosed dementia. A small percentage of patients with dementia (10–30%) may have underlying causes which are completely curable; hence these cases should be identified early. Health care providers must take initiative in formulating a care-giving plan for patients with dementia. This must be a multidisciplinary approach, involving the patient, the care giver, the family, and other social workers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brodaty, H., & Donkin, M. (2009). Family caregivers of people with dementia. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 11(2), 217–228. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2009.11.2/hbrodaty
Edwards, C. R. W., Bouchier, I. A. D., Haslett, C., Chilvers, E. R., & Davidson, S. (1995). Davidson’s principles and practice of medicine. Churchill Livingstone.
George, L. K., & Gwyther, L. P. (1986). Caregiver well-being: A multidimensional examination of family caregivers of demented adults. The Gerontologist, 26(3), 253–259. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/26.3.253
Jorm, A. F. (2004). The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE): A review. International Psychogeriatrics, 16(3), 275–293. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1041610204000390
Kalaria, R. N., Maestre, G. E., Arizaga, R., Friedland, R. P., Galasko, D., Hall, K., Luchsinger, J. A., Ogunniyi, A., Perry, E. K., Potocnik, F., Prince, M., Stewart, R., Wimo, A., Zhang, Z. X., Antuono, P., & World Federation of Neurology Dementia Research Group. (2008). Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in develo** countries: Prevalence, management, and risk factors. The Lancet Neurology, 7(9), 812–826. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70169-8
Kales, H. C., Gitlin, L. N., & Lyketsos, C. G. (2015). Assessment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. BMJ (Clinical Research ed.), 350, h369. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h369
Lynch, C. (2020). World Alzheimer Report 2019: Attitudes to dementia, a global survey. Alzheimer’s and Dementia, 1. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.038255
Mathuranath, P. S., Cherian, P. J., Mathew, R., Kumar, S., George, A., Alexander, A., Ranjith, N., & Sarma, P. S. (2010). Dementia in Kerala, South India: Prevalence and influence of age, education and gender. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25(3), 290–297. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.2338
Mayeux, R. (2010). Clinical practice. Early Alzheimer’s disease. The New England Journal of Medicine, 362(23), 2194–2201. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMcp0910236
Morley, J. E., Morris, J. C., Berg-Weger, M., Borson, S., Carpenter, B. D., Del Campo, N., Dubois, B., Fargo, K., Fitten, L. J., Flaherty, J. H., Ganguli, M., Grossberg, G. T., Malmstrom, T. K., Petersen, R. D., Rodriguez, C., Saykin, A. J., Scheltens, P., Tangalos, E. G., Verghese, J., … Vellas, B. (2015). Brain health: The importance of recognizing cognitive impairment: An IAGG consensus conference. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 16(9), 731–739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2015.06.017
Ravi, S. (2011). Dementia mortality: Estimates of survival after the onset of dementia range from 4 to 12 years. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 53(2), 178–179. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.82565
Riley, R. J., Burgener, S., & Buckwalter, K. C. (2014). Anxiety and stigma in dementia: A threat to aging in place. The Nursing Clinics of North America, 49(2), 213–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2014.02.008
Shaji, K. S., Jotheeswaran, A. T., Girish, N., Bharath, S., Dias, A., Pattabiraman, M., & Alzheimer’s & Related Disorders Society of India. (2010). Dementia India Report 2010: Prevalence, impact, costs and services for dementia. ARDSI.
World Health Organization. (2015). World report on ageing and health. World Health Organization.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Sheetal, S., Mathew, R. (2022). Dementia Among Elderly. In: Handbook of Aging, Health and Public Policy. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1914-4_112-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1914-4_112-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-1914-4
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-1914-4
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Social SciencesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences