About 90% of people with dementia suffer from behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) at some point in their illness. These symptoms include aggression, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, anxiety, irritability, apathy, and sleep disturbance, among others.
Caring for these patients – as a primary care physician, spouse, child, or other caregiver – can be challenging, and for some, overwhelming, but a new book by geriatric psychiatrist and dementia care expert Art Walaszek, MD, aims to provide health care professionals and others with practical, easy-to-read recommendations on how to manage BPSD.
“BPSD can be dangerous for patients and for the people caring for them,” Walaszek says. “My goal with this book was to try to combine the evidence base on BPSD with my own experience as a doctor who interacts with patients with BPSD, their caregivers, or their clinicians on a daily basis.”
This is the first clinical book to address BPSD in more than 15 years. Walaszek’s tome is written primarily for primary care doctors and other health care professionals who care for people with dementia. The book’s straightforward approach to behaviors, medications, and psychosocial approaches will also be beneficial to anyone interacting with people experiencing BPSD.
The book covers an overview of dementia; identifying and distinguishing the different types of dementia; the basic medical examinations and lab work that should be performed when treating a patient with dementia and BPSD; and best practices for pharmacological and psychosocial approaches to BPSD. A chapter on ethical and legal considerations offers guidance on elder abuse reporting, creation of advance directives and power of attorney arrangements, safety planning, and caregiver support.
Walaszek is one of only about 2,000 geriatric psychiatrists in the United States. His background in both mental health and the special nuances of aging and dementia care offers a unique perspective and understanding of a complex topic that will only grow more common as the population ages.
Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia is available through American Psychiatric Association Publishing. It can also be purchased at amazon.com.
About the author
Art Walaszek, MD, is a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He provides care to older adults with depression, anxiety, dementia, and other mental health conditions, and teaches others to do the same. Walaszek is Co-leader of the Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and Public Health Pillar Leader at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute.
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