According to the guideline, dementia is a progressive and mostly irreversible cognitive decline that causes functional impairment in daily activities. There are four major subtypes of dementia, which are Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), mixed dementia, and other subtypes such as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) (Department of Health, 2017b). One chapter in the guideline covers the diagnosis of dementia (Chapter 3). The assessment of cognitive impairment in primary care setting should include history, physical examination, cognitive screening test, appropriate investigations, and review of medications which may adversely affect the cognitive functions of the elderly people (Department of Health, 2017b). An algorithm for the assessment of cognitive impairment in older people in primary care setting can be found on page 13 of the guideline (Department of Health, 2017b, p.13).

References:

Department of Health. (2017b). Hong Kong Reference Framework for Preventive Care for Older Adults in Primary Care Settings: Module on Cognitive Impairment. Retrieved from https://www.fhb.gov.hk/pho/rfs/english/pdf_viewer.html?file=download215&title=string258&titletext=string189&htmltext=string189&resources=07_Module_on_Cognitive_Impairment