Identifying performance measures, indicators and targets to monitor and evaluate dementia strategies

ABSTRACT

Dementia is a complex condition and refers to "progressive brain syndromes which affect memory, thinking, behavior and emotion."(1) While the experience of dementia is different for each person, it eventually progresses to an individual not being able to care for themselves and requiring assistance with all aspects of their daily life.(1) Accounting for approximately 50% to 60% of all cases of dementia, Alzheimer's disease is the most common of the more than 100 known forms of dementia. Common symptoms of all forms of dementia include memory loss (e.g., inability to recall details of recent events or conversations, not recognizing or knowing family members' names), frequent difficulty in finding words (e.g., with pauses or substitutions when finding words) or understanding what others are saying, not being to perform routine tasks, and changes in personality or mood