Community Care and Supports for People with Intellectual Disabilities Affected by Dementia

This version of the NTG guidelines, drawn from research, clinical experiences, and demonstrated best practices is a popularized document (see also Jokinen et al., 2013 for the journal version). The guidelines delineate what actions should be undertaken and are presented in a manner that reflects the progressive nature of prevalent dementias. To enable the development of the most appropriate and useful services and care management for adults with intellectual disabilities affected by dementia, the guidelines are based upon the dementia staging model generally accepted for practice among generic dementia services. The staging model follows the flow from a prediagnosis stage when early recognition of symptoms associated with cognitive decline are recognized through to early, mid, and late stages of dementia, and characterizes the expected changes in behavior and function. To aid with widespread efforts to detect possible symptoms of MCI or dementia, the guidelines cite the application of the NTG-Early Detection Screen for Dementia as a first step in documenting early signs of cognitive and functional changes among people with intellectual disabilities. The guidelines also provide information on non-pharmacological options for providing community care for persons affected by dementia as well as commentary on abuse, financial, managing choice and liability, medication, and nutritional issues.