Dementia Care:the History and Perspectives

Hajime Takechi　

Department of Geriatric Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University

　　Dementia is a syndrome to lose autonomy of the patients in society and at home.　Therefore, they need care from others. In the early stage of dementia, they need, for example, to be reminded not to forget appointments or schedules. In the middle to late stages, assistance for activities of daily livings is required.　The emergence of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia often makes it hard for caregivers, especially family caregivers, to take care of dementia patients.　At the moment, it is estimated that half of the beneficiaries of long term care insurance program suffer from dementia in Japan.　Therefore, the weight of dementia is high in the care system. 　There is, however, a great deal of progress in the technique or the way of thinking of care in recent years.　Physicians are now requested to be aware of the care issues as well as medical management of dementia patients.

Address correspondence to Dr. Hajime Takechi, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University(54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan)