Clinical case · Dementia
Unpaid bills and a missed appointment
A 78-year-old woman's daughter has noticed 18 months of forgetfulness, missed appointments and a phone scam. Assess for dementia properly, find what is making it worse, and support her and her family.
Intermediate 15 minNeeds clinical review
You will learn to
- Recognise early signs of a neurocognitive disorder and use an informant history
- Separate mild cognitive impairment from dementia by daily function, never by a screening score alone
- Reduce anticholinergic burden, address hearing loss and plan non-drug support for the person and their carer
Presentation
Step 1 of 10A 78-year-old woman is referred by her doctor after her daughter raised concerns about her memory.
She says, "I'm fine — everyone forgets things at my age." Her daughter quietly adds that her mother recently gave her bank details to a caller who claimed to be from the bank.
References
- Ismail Z, Black SE, Camicioli R, et al. Recommendations of the 5th Canadian Consensus Conference on the diagnosis and treatment of dementia. Alzheimers Dement. 2020;16(8):1182–1195. doi:10.1002/alz.12105 · PubMed 32725777
- EAU Guidelines on Non-neurogenic Female LUTS. Edition presented at the EAU Annual Congress, London 2026. Arnhem: EAU Guidelines Office; 2026. link
Last updated 2026-10-21.
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