Introduction

Dementia with Lewy bodies, corticobasal degeneration, subcortical gliosis, frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia, and human immuno deficiency virus-associated dementia are some of the most identified diseases that cause dementia syndromes. Kraepelin differentiated "senile" and "presenile" forms of dementia in 1910. From the mid-1980s, when behavioral treatments for the language and cognitive deficits of persons with dementia began to appear, thoughts about therapeutic intervention began to shift from futile to possible. Caring for persons with dementia saw a major shift with the development of social models of health and disability. As speech-language pathologists (SLP) in the United States began to deliver more assessments and interventions for persons with dementia, they experienced some frustration with Medicare reimbursement claims denials. In a document outlining the preferred practice patterns of SLPs and audiologists, several additional areas of responsibility were outlined for persons providing services to individuals with dementia, including screening for potential language problems.