Screening for dementia and depression in older people
The practice of screening and assessing the mental health status of older people living in the community can be carried out by nurses working in primary care, with people in their own homes, in surgeries or clinics and in nursing or residential care homes. After reading this article, you should be able to:
Understand why primary care nurses are concerned with the mental health of older people.
Understand why older people may be vulnerable to depression and dementia.
Be aware of the importance of early detection of these conditions.
Be able to identify how older people may exhibit symptoms of depression and dementia.
Understand why these mental health problems may be undetected in an older person.
Consider ways in which the nursing assessment of an older person might be developed to include assessment and screening for dementia.
