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