The prevalence of dementia: The confusion of numbers

Blume, Lois; Persily, Nancy Alfred; Mintzer, Jacobo

doi:10.1177/153331759200700302

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Yet, in relation to communication about health and risk, Jones (2013: 40-41) raises a more fundamental concern about the use of numbers, in particular where it is not clear what has been counted, and how. In their review of the dementia prevalence literature, Blume, Persily and Mintzer (1992) reported the tendency for dementia statistics to be calculated in inconsistent ways, including whether or not different types of dementia were taken into account. These and other complexities surrounding the calculation of prevalence information about dementia are, however, not mentioned in the articles, but are conveniently obscured, we suggest, so as not to undermine the shock value and fear factor that the media narratives undoubtedly intend to produce.…”

Section: Representing Dementia: Battles and Racesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Our biggest killer”: multimodal discourse representations of dementia in the British press

et al. 2017

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A recent (2016) Office for National Statistics report stated that dementia is now 'the leading cause of death' in England and Wales. Ever fixated with the syndrome (an unfailingly newsworthy topic), the British press was quick to respond to the bulletin, consistently headlining that dementia was the nation's 'biggest killer', while (re)formulating other aspects of the report in distorting and emotive metaphorical terms. In this paper we examine how the media, through use of a recurring set of linguistic and visual semiotic tropes, portrayed dementia as an agentive entity, a 'killer', which remorselessly attacks its 'victims'. Such a broadly loaded and sensationalist representation, we argue, not only construed dementia as a direful and pernicious disease, but also, crucially, obscured the personal and social contexts in which the syndrome is understood and experienced (not least by people with dementia themselves). This intensely lurid type of representation not only fails to address the ageist misinformation and common misunderstandings that all too commonly surround dementia, but is also likely to exacerbate the stress and depression frequently experienced by people with dementia and their families.

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Section: Representing Dementia: Battles and Racesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Our biggest killer”: multimodal discourse representations of dementia in the British press

et al. 2017

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“… 100 These additional manifestations are often major risk factors for caregiver distress and nursing home placement. 101 An alternative approach to the treatment of individuals with dementia who have severely agitated behavior is the use of behavioral environmental techniques, implemented in conjunction with, or in place of, traditional pharmacological treatments. 102 …”

Section: Nonpharmacological Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Approximately 10% of persons who reach the age of 65 will develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) or another type of dementia. 1 AD and other dementias usually present with two syndromes, a cognitive syndrome and a behavioral syndrome, 2 which overlap (in most patients) during the course of the disease. 3 The cognitive syndrome is characterized by deficits in memory, language, visual constructional abilities, and other areas of intellectual functioning.…”

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confidence: 99%

Behavioral and psychological signs and symptoms of dementia: a practicing psychiatrist's viewpoint

Mintzer

Mirski

Hoernig

2000

Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience

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Alzheimer's disease typically presents with two often overlapping syndromes, one cognitive, the other behavioral. The behavioral syndrome is characterized by psychosis, aggression, depression, anxiety, agitation, and other common if less well-defined symptoms subsumed under the umbrella entity "behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia" (BPSD), itself divided into a number of subsyndromes: psychosis, circadian rhythm (sleepwake) disturbance, depression, anxiety, and agitation, it is BPSD with its impact on care providers that ultimately precipitates the chain of events resulting in long-term institutional care. The treatment challenge involves eliminating unmet medical needs (undiagnosed hip fracture and asymptomatic urinary tract infection or pneumonia). Pharmacologic intervention relies on risperidone and, increasingly cholinesterase inhibitors for the control of psychosis (but with response rates of only 65% at tolerable doses), olanzapine and risperidone for anxiety, and carbamazepine and valproic acid for agitation. However, evidence increasingly favors nonpharmacologic interventions, to the extent that these should now be considered as the foundation of BPSD treatment. Problem behaviors are viewed as meaningful responses to unmet needs in the therapeutic milieu. Because the progression and impact of BPSD varies between patients, interventions must be explored, designed, implemented, and assessed on an individual basis. They include: family support and education, psychotherapy reality orientation, validation therapy, reminiscence and life review, behavioral interventions, therapeutic activities and creative arts therapies, environmental considerations (including restraint-free facilities), behavioral intensive care units, and workplace design and practices that aid the ongoing management of professional caregiver stress.

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Behavior Modification of Older Adults

Goreczny

1997

Handbook of Neuropsychology and Aging

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The prevalence of dementia: The confusion of numbers

Cited by 5 publications

References 30 publications

“Our biggest killer”: multimodal discourse representations of dementia in the British press

“Our biggest killer”: multimodal discourse representations of dementia in the British press

Behavioral and psychological signs and symptoms of dementia: a practicing psychiatrist's viewpoint

Behavior Modification of Older Adults

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