| Theme |
Cognitive impairment and dialysis therapy |
| Title |
Dementia care for dialysis patients |
| Author |
Toshiyuki Watanabe |
Department of Social Work, The School of Health Sciences, Tokai University |
| [ Summary ] |
One of the contemporary problems of dialysis medicine is the care for patients with dementia. The dialysis staff should have knowledge of dementia and its related issues. It is important for early detection that we know the initial signs and common symptoms of dementia. The staff should be able to perform a basic examination to identify dementia. Further, careful dosage in consideration of changes in blood concentration and excretion of drugs is necessary for treatment. The dialysis staff should try to consider environmental adjustment before giving medication. The problem that we should think about the most is when to "start" and "stop" dialysis on renal failure patients complicated with dementia. The dignity of a dialysis patient complicated with dementia is a serious problem that the nation should think about as well as the medical staff. |