Practical Dementia Care, 3rd Edition Doody's Expert Review Review Questionnaire ISBN: 9780199376834 ISBN-10: 0199376832 Copyright: 2016 Edition: 3rd Author: Rabins, Peter V., Lyketsos, Constantine G. , Steele, Cynthia, Doody's Expert Review    Score: 92 Doody's Star Rating™ and Doody's Expert Review provide by Doody Enterprises, Inc. Reviewer: Danielle Anderson,  MD  (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine) Description This is the third edition of a comprehensive book that takes a holistic approach to the care of persons with neurocognitive disorders. Meant to be a practical guide, it provides background information about the dementias as well as guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of persons with dementia. This update of the 2006 edition includes extensive revision and expansion of chapters reviewing diagnostic techniques, early prevention, early detection, and evaluation of clinical needs. It also has a greater emphasis on the use of nonpharmacological interventions for the treatment of behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Finally, it incorporates the previous chapter on genetics into the discussions of specific diseases that cause neurocognitive disorders. Purpose The stated purpose is to provide "a practical source of information and reference for the practitioner providing day to day care to patients with dementia and their families," not to be a comprehensive reference. Audience The audience is professionals providing day-to-day care to people who suffer from dementia and their families, which includes primary care and specialist physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, occupational and physical therapists, and gerontologists. Features This book provides a holistic look at the evaluation and care of dementia patients spanning disease progression from preclinical to advanced stages. The book starts with an overview of the definition of dementias and background information about the most common diseases causing neurocognitive disorders. It provides clear recommendations on how to systematically evaluate and formulate a person's condition. It then describes treatment of those with dementias, including pharmacological treatment, nonpharmacological treatment, communication techniques to assist with care, and support for caregivers and patients. Associated behavioral and medical conditions are reviewed. The chapter on treating nonpharmacological behavioral problems outlines a systematic approach to determining underlying causes of neuropsychiatric symptoms and advice for treating common triggers. The chapter on prevention and early dementia detection has been extensively updated. The book closes with a discussion of advanced dementia care and of ethical and legal issues that may arise. The authors have succeeded in making this book user friendly. It is not intended as a comprehensive reference, but rather as a practical book for clinicians to use on a daily basis in taking care of individuals with dementia. References are presented at the end of the book organized by chapter. The charts and graphs are useful and may entail checklists, tips, and flowcharts for quicker reference by practitioners. Assessment This is an excellent addition to the armamentarium of any practitioner who treats persons with neurocognitive disorders. It is clearly written, explicit in its explanations, and it simplifies complicated concepts. The advice that is expressed can only come from extensive experience, which makes this an invaluable resource. It enables practitioners to help patients and their families navigate this disease with more than purely medical assessment and treatment. It provides expert opinion about techniques useful for handling problems commonly encountered in dementia patients. This runs the gamut of discussing the patient's cognitive status, assessing for caregiver stress, navigating through neuropsychiatric symptoms, and helping provide forward planning. Rather than giving a laundry list of possible scenarios and neuropsychiatric difficulties with potential solutions, this book helps readers in thinking through the process of this disease. Review Questionnaire Range Question Score 1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 10 1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 10 1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5 1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 4 1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 4 1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 5 1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? 5 1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. 3 1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. 3 1-5 Are there sufficient references? 5 1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 4 1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 5 1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 4 1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book N/A 1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 10 1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? 10 ©2024 Doody Enterprises, Inc.