[Memory clinics: role of day hospital]

The day hospital appears to be highly suitable for a memory clinic, not only as a complementary service, but also for teaching and clinical or epidemiologic research purposes. As regards diagnostic procedures, the possibility of doing tests and assessments in the same place and in a short time is a clear advantage for these often fragile patients. In the day hospital, clinical assessments can be coupled with the paraclinical tests required to make a diagnosis, with efficient technical resources on hand. Multidisciplinarity and close collaboration between the different specialists are the key elements in the diagnosis and long-term management of these patients, who also find the premises less worrisome than the hospital environment. The day hospital appears to be the ideal setting for monitoring and therapeutic management, being situated at the interface between hospital and community physicians.