International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

Abstract

All groups comprising patients with severe dementia had caregivers who escorted the patients at the time of the consultation; compared to the other groups, the proportion of family members living with the patient was significantly higher. This means that the role of family members significantly encourages consultation behavior for those in the severe group. More than 80% of the patients in groups with severe dementia had a family doctor. Providing support before specialist medical care in cooperation with the family doctor is essential. The following three background factors contribute toward dementia not becoming apparent: non-existence, which indicates minimal social interaction or other opportunities for contact which would make one aware of the condition; connection failure, which means that families had difficulty in connecting with the consultation despite having trouble in their daily lives due to dementia.; and evaluation failure, which means that families did not feel that dementia was a problem that they needed to seek a consultation for. Even when patients were being adequately medically treated, the family exhibited a further need to understand the patient’s condition and sought advice on how to manage it. Therefore, expanding family counseling services is crucial to meet the diverse needs of families with members who have dementia.