Assessment of dementia in people with learning disabilities

The dementias are important disorders of ageing which result in cognitive and functional decline, behaviour change, increasing dependency and premature death. Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are at least as prevalent in older people with learning disabilities as in the general population. In addition, people with Down's syndrome have high rates of early onset Alzheimer's disease. Assessment of dementia in people with learning disabilities is confounded by pre-existing cognitive and functional impairments and high rates of comorbid disorders. This paper discusses assessment of dementia in people with learning disabilities from a clinical perspective, with reference to the current evidence base.