17 February 2023
The number of people with dementia is expected to increase with a consequential effect on the wellbeing of families and increasing pressure on an already over-burdened health and social care system. Risk factors for dementia, both modifiable and non-modifiable,
if appropriately understood and identified are amenable to management and amelioration. Community and primary care nurses are in an ideal position to support the reduction and management of risk pre and post dementia diagnosis. Using a case study, this paper highlights some of the issues in identifying, assessing and managing risk in a person with an existing diagnosis of dementia and their family/carer. The potential for dementia-related risks to escalate can have a much wider impact on a family unit if not appropriately identified, managed and mitigated against.
