The New York Times recently featured a series of Venn diagrams on the medical conditions of those residing in Assisted Living. Not surprising, almost half of the over 700,000 residents have dementia.
In addition, this diagram demonstrates that many of those with dementia experience a variety of other medical conditions, including high blood pressure and heart disease. But what was most impressive is that this feature points out how dementia impacts these other, overlapping conditions. One with dementia needs extra instruction, attention and care in order to treat other symptoms. This fact is often overlooked, as the focus tends to be on medical conditions.
What we know is that the symptoms of memory impairment must always be addressed first in order for medical intervention to be successful.
Dementia Care Expertise for Health Care Providers 