Guidance on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and
support of people with learning disabilities who develop dementia.
Co-published by The British Psychological Society and the Royal
College of Psychiatrists.
The main purpose of the report is to enable
those working in clinical and social care services to improve the
quality of life of people with learning disabilities who develop
dementia, by providing guidance to inform assessment, diagnosis,
treatment and support. The guidance is aimed at clinicians in
learning disability and older peoples’ mental health services and
services for younger people with dementia. The main focus is on the
key factors that are the elements of an excellent service, and to
help those working in services evaluate how they might help the
increasing numbers of people with learning disabilities who are
developing dementia given improvements in life-expectancy.
Contents:
Members of the working group
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Purpose of this report
1: Context
2: Epidemiology
3: Baseline and monitoring
4: Possible reasons for apparent decline in
functioning
5: Clinical presentation of dementia
6: Assessment
7: Decision making/telling people
8: Additional health/clinical issues
associated with dementia
9: Conceptual understanding of the dementia
process
10: Philosophy of care
11: Environments
12: Meeting changing needs/interventions
13: Medications
14: End of life issues
15: Capable commissioning for people with
learning disabilities and dementia
16: Capable workforce
17: References
Appendix: Good Practice Standards – self
assessment checklist