Dementia

Adults 65 and older are the fastest growing segment of the population worldwide, which means there will be more people living with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Written at a resident level, the Primer on Dementia provides early career professionals with the information necessary to care for the often complex clinical presentations of people with age-associated neurocognitive disorders. This book is organized into three sections: (1) core concepts, (2) dementia syndromes, and (3) disease management. The chapters in section one focus on clinical knowledge and skills applicable across all dementias, including the diagnostic interview and neurologic examination, frequently used cognitive screening measures, neuropsychological assessment, neuroimaging, and differential diagnosis. Chapters in section two review the most common dementia syndromes and cover epidemiology, neuropathology, biomarkers, genetics, and clinical signs and symptoms, providing at least one illustrative case. The final section presents the latest evidence-based interventions from risk management to pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches, while also addressing safety considerations, legal issues, palliative and advanced care planning, and attending to caregivers.

Dr Robin Hilsabeck is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist who is Professor of Neurology and Division Chief of Clinical Neuropsychology at The University of Texas (UT) Health San Antonio and the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Previously, she was Director of the Comprehensive Memory Center, an interprofessional dementia specialty clinic, at UT Health Austin Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences. Dr Hilsabeck's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Alzheimer's Association, and the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium. She has over 80 publications and 130 workshop and conference presentations. Dr Gayle Ayers is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. She completed her psychiatry residency training at UT Southwestern in Dallas, TX, and a geriatric psychiatry fellowship at Yale University. She is board certified in both Adult and Geriatric Psychiatry. Dr Ayers previously worked for 8 years in Austin as an Assistant Professor in the both the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at Dell Medical School and with Ascension Seton in Austin. She was the Medical Director for a geriatric clinic that served a broad Central Texas rural area. She has engaged in numerous talks and presentations to further community education regarding cognitive disorders.