SIGN 168 Assessment, diagnosis, care and support for people with dementia and their carers
SIGN are keen to capture the impact of SIGN 168 assessment, diagnosis, care and support for people with dementia and their carers amongst stakeholder groups. We welcome feedback from users of the guideline and supporting documents and we are particularly keen to hear how it has been used and how it has been implemented.
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Assessment, diagnosis, care and support for people with dementia and their carers
The guideline covers: the identification and diagnosis of dementia, investigative procedures, post-diagnostic support, non-pharmacological distressed behaviours, grief and dementia, the changing needs of people with dementia, and palliative approaches.
Who this guideline is for
This guideline will be of interest to:
- primary and secondary healthcare professionals
- social care professionals
- community, care home and care at home staff involved in the care of people at risk of, or diagnosed with, dementia
- people living with dementia and their families and carers
Recommendations
The guideline contains 67 evidence-based recommendations across six domains:
- Identification and diagnosis of dementia
- Further investigative procedures
- Postdiagnostic support
- Non-pharmacological approaches for distressed behaviours
- Grief and dementia
- Changing needs of people with dementia
Supporting material
A checklist for provision of information at diagnosis and after diagnosis has been developed by people with lived experience. This is included within the guideline and as a separate document.
A patient booklet, easy read version and an audio version of the patient booklet are also available for patients, family members and carers.
A quick reference guide, focusing on the recommendations, will be published in December.
How this guideline was developed
This guideline was developed using a standard methodology based on a systematic review of the evidence. Further details can be found in SIGN 50: A Guideline Developer’s Handbook.
Keeping up to date
This guideline was published in 2023 and will be considered for review in three years.
Current < 3 years
