Search

Published in 1996: Alzheimer's disease is characterized by memory disturbances and changes in personality and is associated with aging, although it can occur in people under 65. It is a progressive disease, painful to witness as the patient's health declines. Alzheimer's Disease: Cause(s), Diagnosis, and Care, with its complete and authoritative discussions, will help you understand all facets of this complex disease. This book addresses a broad spectrum of topics ranging from diagnosis, causes, treatment, epidemiology, genetics, risk factors, and care and management. Alzheimer's Disease: Cause(s), Diagnosis, and Care is intended for a diverse audience, including practitioners and students, family members, and everyone who is concerned about this disease.

The era of therapeutic nihilism in dementia has ended, with the emergence of agents for symptomatic treatment, those that delay the course of the disease or prevent the onset of dementia, and new methods to manage symptoms. With the expansion of therapies, there is a clear danger of being overwhelmed by the volume of data. This book is designed to collect this information, distil what is relevant and reliable, and present it in a format that is useful to clinicians who manage and treat people with dementia. The book is designed to bring together the latest, best and practical evidence on all aspects of management, from diagnosis and therapy to social and ethical considerations. The editors are all dynamic clinicians involved in the care of patients with dementia and the evaluation of therapies. Two of the editors are the leaders of the Cochrane Collaboration for the examination of therapies for dementia. There are no other books that take such a practical and problem-oriented or approach to the diagnosis and management of dementia. Furthermore none but this can be described as truely evidence-based.

ìHow to comfort? How to help?î are questions often asked by persons providing care to individuals suffering from dementia. According to Hoffman and Platt--a warm smile, gentle touch, and soothing voice tone can help toward improving quality of life. The authors believe caregivers should be encouraged to emphasize non-verbal aspects of their communication throughout their daily care of the demented. Hoffman and Platt provide research-based, practical guidelines for communicating with dementia patients and offer strategies for responding to depression, aggression, wandering, and other behavioral problems. New to the Second edition are chapters addressing: Feeding strategies Falls and Use of Mechanical Restraints Special Care Units Dying and Grieving Each chapter features learning objectives, a pretest, a posttest, and learning exercises. The book is a valuable tool for inservice training and a practical resource for professionals.

Parkinson's disease and parkinsonism are particular problems in the elderly, causing disability and impairing quality of life. This book covers the clinical features, diagnosis and management of Parkinson's disease in elderly people, dealing not only with the motor symptoms but also problems such as depression and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. It particularly stresses the importance of rehabilitation and total patient care. Topics covered include: • Differential diagnosis and epidemiology • Drug-induced parkinsonism and gait apraxia • The drug treatment of elderly patients • Cognitive impairment in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease • The multidisciplinary rehabilitation team Being a comprehensive, practical and enlightened account of Parkinson's disease in the elderly, and drawing on international experts, this book will appeal to clinicians in the various disciplines involved with neurological disease and rehabilitation in elderly people.