ABSTRACT
In recent years, increasing attention has focused on meeting the psychological needs of people who have only recently received a diagnosis of dementia. This has been made possible partly by a rise in the number of people actively seeking help for their memory and other cognitive problems. Most dementia services report that they are now generally referred people at an earlier stage in the condition than was the situation a decade ago. This is due, at least in part, to the increase in public knowledge and understanding of dementia through media coverage of recent research findings. The introduction of the so-called ‘anti-dementia’ drugs has meant, perhaps for the first time, that many people see some point in obtaining a diagnosis if there are medications that might help to modify the effects of dementia.
