The “National Policy for Primary Care” is responsible for the first contact with the population and for referring people to more specialised services in order to receive proper diagnosis (Brazilian Ministry of Health, 2012). We had previously estimated that dementia is underdiagnosed, and we believe that those diagnosed are in general at more advanced stages of the disease. In practice, patients suspected to have dementia by primary care professionals should be referred to a specialist (usually a geriatrician, psychiatrist, or a neurologist), who will follow through each case and will prescribe anti-cholinesterase drugs or other medication routinely. The post-diagnostic support is generally provided through primary care services in which people living with dementia would receive a similar type of support like other older people with chronic conditions. The care itself is not provided by public services and there are no dementia-specific mainstream post-diagnostic services for people living with dementia and their carers. A few initiatives can be found locally through University hospitals where support groups are provided, or through private services.

References:

Brazilian Ministry of Health. (2012). Política Nacional de Atenção Básica. http://189.28.128.100/dab/docs/publicacoes/geral/pnab.pdf