A New Approach to Dementia: Examining Attention Impairment

This groundbreaking work specifically focuses on attention impairments of the dementias to improve both early recognition of dementia and clinical diagnosis, as well as interventions and care. Unlike the majority of research that focuses on memory dysfunction, this volume examines the significant evidence supporting the existence of many types of attention-related changes/abnormalities at the early stages of the disease and throughout its progression. This book provides a brief overview of attention and its different types and then explores what happens when these various aspects of attention become dysfunctional. It considers how attentional dysfunction is associated with various aetiologies of dementia and how attentional change is experienced by people living with dementia and the impact this has upon everyday life and diagnosis. This book also examines how attentional function is measured clinically and discusses the existing dichotomy between research evidence and clinical practice. It finally considers how limitations in the public’s general understanding of attention contribute to attention dysfunction being rarely reported as an early sign of dementia. With both scientific and clinical relevance, this book is essential for clinicians and researchers in ageing and dementia as well as for students of neuropsychology/neurocognition, medicine, and health and social care.