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Difficulties of dealing with dementia in individuals with intellectual disabilities: the healthcare perspective
- Authors:
- JETHWA Hannah, CASSIDY Geraldine
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 4(4), December 2010, pp.48-52.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Dementia is a condition that involves inevitably progressive deficits in numerous cognitive domains, including thought, language, memory, understanding and judgement. It is more than 4 times as prevalent in people with intellectual disabilities as in the general population. This paper explains the main difficulties in dealing with dementia in people with intellectual disabilities, including late diagnosis, assessment and management issues. Diagnosis of the condition in people with intellectual disabilities is often difficult due to lack of baseline skill assessment, high staff turnover in supported accommodation and low expectations of capabilities. Current National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on anti-dementia medication state that treatment should not be initiated until the condition has reached moderate severity. Determining whether symptoms are at this stage in people with intellectual disabilities is difficult because their skill level is already impaired. An accurate and extensive record of baseline skill levels in people with intellectual disabilities is therefore crucial, and regular comparison with baseline is key to early diagnosis of dementia.