Healthy Ageing 101: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Dementia
In recognition of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, our Healthy Ageing and Geriatrics team hosted a Healthy Ageing 101 session this week on how post-traumatic stress disorder may present in patients with dementia and how to support them.
Among many highlights from this engaging presentation by Dr. Mark Lachmann, Geriatric Psychiatrist and Bridgepoint’s Medical Site Lead, was the concept of trauma informed care – an approach to care where health care providers assume there is an underlying trauma in addition to their health condition(s).
This approach is especially important in dementia care. “For those with dementia who have also endured traumatic experiences, the disease often impacts their ability to protect themselves against traumatic memories and this may result in certain behavioural presentations,” says Dr. Lachmann.
“Taking a trauma informed approach when caring for patients ensures we don’t inadvertently re-traumatize them, and results in tailored interventions likely to improve the overall patient experience.”