A Study on the Practice of Assisting Elderly People with Dementia to Receive Medical Treatment by Persons in Charge of Cooperation at Medical Institutions Specializing in Dementia

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K13957
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 08020:Social welfare-related
• Research Institution: Osaka Metropolitan University (2022); Nihon Fukushi University (2019-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Sugiyama Kei 大阪公立大学, 大学院生活科学研究科, 講師 (90824912)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 認知症 / 受診援助

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to clarify the current status of medical consultation assistance for elderly people suspected of having dementia and their families provided by the persons in charge of cooperation at medical institutions specializing in dementia, and to develop tools to enable self-supervision by the persons in charge of cooperation, with the aim of enabling appropriate differential diagnosis and treatment of elderly people suspected of having latent dementia in the community early after the onset of the disease. In this study, we conducted a qualitative and quantitative survey of the persons in charge of cooperation at medical institutions with dementia specialists, and visualized the medical consultation assistance expected before and after differential diagnosis for elderly people diagnosed with dementia.

Free Research Field

社会福祉学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は、認知症専門医療機関の連携担当者に期待される鑑別診断の受診援助に関する実践を可視化したことである。これにより、地域に潜在する認知症が疑われる高齢者を発症後早期に、適切な鑑別診断ならびに治療につなげることが可能となり、鑑別診断が単なる病名の告知としての機会ではなく、認知症と診断された高齢者やその家族が抱える心理・社会的ニーズを軽減・解決し、その後の安定した療養生活の実現に向けた体制構築という「意味のある受診」として機能する可能性があるという点に社会的な意義があると考える。