End Stage Dementia and End-of-Life Care Many healthcare providers do not conceptualize degenerative dementia as a fatal, uncurable condition and do not take appropriate steps to ensure adequate end-of-life care. Current hospice mentality focuses on physical impairment related to systemic organ system failure. Ideally, end-of-life care should be prepared for and initiated with end-stage brain failure irrespective of the...

Faculty

• Salli E. Gallaher-Whisman , MD
• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD
• Marie B. Smart , SW, BA
• Renee Chase , MDiv

Safety Precautions in Older Patients: Medications, Driving Risks, and Home Environment

The emergence of memory problems and subsequent development of a clinical dementia poses significant health risks to affected persons. Our analysis of such problems suggests that they cluster in three key areas including driving, medication management, and home safety issues. These risks are poorly understood by many primary care providers, but it is essential that they understand...

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD
• Marie B. Smart , SW, BA

Confidentiality and Privacy of Health Information

Issues of privacy, capacity, and guardianship are common problems in the management of dementia. These issues are complicated by the fact that the laws regarding such issues vary state to state. While many equate the diagnosis of a dementing illness with a lack of capacity and need for oversight, the lines are blurring as we have begun to diagnose disorders like Alzheimer’s...

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD

Recognizing Medical Conditions that Mimic Dementia ...

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD