ABSTRACT
Dementia is known to be highly prevalent in acute hospital settings. More than 60% of acute admissions of older patients have some element of cognitive decline or disability. Liaison psychiatry teams working in acute hospitals will be involved in the assessment and management of patients with dementia and in supporting their families, particularly around the making of difficult decisions. Liaison psychiatry work includes helping clinical staff and services in various ways including education. This chapter looks at psychodynamic perspectives in working with dementia care in the acute hospital. Using clinical illustrations of psychodynamic concepts, I examine how liaison psychiatry teams work to support and enrich care for patients and their families and enable staff.
