André Tanguay, MD, Chief Physician, Pavillon Hubert-Maisonneuve, CHSLD Drapeau-Deschambault, Rosemère, QC.
A common theme in dementia is misunderstanding--patients with dementia are confused in their thoughts, about the people around them, and by their environment. Furthermore, the patient's family should not be astounded by the seemingly different viewpoints of professionals. In dementia, understanding is of the utmost importance between professionals and family caregivers, and delivering the facts in a clear manner is essential. Striving for this goal, the training tool presented in this article allows the factual understanding of the natural progression of Alzheimer disease. Clinical data and 13 grades are charted within a single table to allow optimal understanding of this disease.
Key words: Alzheimer disease, caregivers, GDS-FAST, training table, MMSE.
