Understanding behaviours in dementia.

Dementia is an increasingly common condition among the older population. In addition to cognitive impairment, many people diagnosed with dementia will also experience neuropsychiatric symptoms during the life course of their illness. These are referred to as the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). The presence of BPSD can be distressing for the person with dementia, their families and carers, and significantly increase carer burden. It is important that staff working in primary, community and social care have an awareness and understanding of the meanings that underlie such behaviours in order to support assessment and subsequent actions, including referral to specialist services where appropriate. This is the third paper in a series that follows two fictional families through case studies to illustrate aspects of dementia care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]