Recognition and assessment of dementia in primary care

The majority of patients are diagnosed within a memory assessment service or a neurology clinic. However, early detection of a possible dementia is often done in a primary care setting. Dementia diagnosis has been seen by some as a 'tick-box exercise' but there are significant benefits to patients and their families when screening or testing for dementia is carried out early, especially in supporting the patients management of other comorbid or long-term conditions. Community nurses have a key role in identifying patients who may have the signs and symptoms of dementia by enabling them to access a timely diagnosis.