[Dementia: the importance of psychosocial interventions]

The number of people suffering from dementia in The Netherlands is expected to rise from 175,000 in 2006 to 400,000 by the year 2050. Stella Braam recently wrote a book in which she described the experiences of her father, a former psychologist with the attitudes and knowledge of professionals concerning communication and coping with dementia, when he became dement himself. She reports that hardly anyone actually listened to the emotions and wishes of her father. Coping with dementia constitutes a major challenge to society. A working-group of the Dutch Institute for Healthcare Improvement CBO recently advised psychological approaches as the first-line treatment for the neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia; however, they decided not to give concrete guidelines because of the lack of evidence. A study of the literature reveals that the effects of psychosocial interventions are certainly promising even though the evidence is weak. Investment in more research in this field and immediate implementation of the existing knowledge by caregivers and professional workers are recommended.