Lewy body dementia awareness week 2023
NewsUp to 30% of all dementia cases are Lewy body dementia (Zaccai 2005) yet it's misdiagnosed between 50% and 80% of the time (Hohl 2000; LBDA 2019).
This Lewy body dementia awareness week, could you take two minutes to get acquainted - or reacquainted - with the core diagnostic criteria for lewy body dementia (LBD)? It could have a huge impact on someones' life.
This short video is an excerpt from our Lewy body Bitesize course, where Dr Joe Kane discusses the clinical presentation and diagnostic criteria for LBD.
If you want to find out more about the course or enroll for free, you can do so here.
I will be hyper-aware of [the diagnostic challenges] now, thank you!
Delegate on Lewy Body Bitesize
Lewy body dementia can be complex to manage, with varied symptoms spanning cognitive, autonomic and behavioural aspects. A combination of therapeutic and pharmacological interventions from early on can support people to live as well as possible for as long as possible. Helping their families and loved ones to understand their needs and cope with the changes they are experiencing can also improve their quality of life and reduce carer burden.
To provide this support well requires teamwork; communication and collaboration across health, social care and the voluntary sector can have a huge impact in how well someone feels they are supported.
Really important to hear from the voluntary sector - raising awareness, supporting clients and carers - holistic care is not purely medical!
Delegate at Lewy BodyMasterClass 2022
The Lewy Body Society sponsors our Lewy Body MasterClass and helps us ensure that people with lived experience of the condition can share their experiences and bring real insight to the sessions on care pathway and service optimisation.
Amazing to hear about Des and Valli's journey. I can't thank you enough for sharing your experience. I can read, but this does not give me the insight that your personal encounters can give.
Delegate at Lewy BodyMasterClass 2022
As in all areas of healthcare, education and increased awareness are key to improving the experiences and outcomes of people affected by Lewy body dementia.
By upskilling and educating both generalists and specialists through practically applicable content, we can improve recognition and speed of diagnosis, ensure appropriate access to medications, optimise therapeutic management and provide much-needed support to those living with Lewy body dementia and their families.
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Lewy Body Academy
Focussing on dementia with Lewy bodies (previously known as Lewy body disease), and Parkinson's disease dementia, this specialist training ensures people with these dementias do not fall through the gaps in care.