IZABELLA DUTRA DE ABREU
Médica Psiquiatra do Instituto Aurus, Residência em Psiquiatria pelo Instituto Raul Soares - FHEMIG (Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais).
ORESTES VICENTE FORLENZA
Médico Psiquiatra. Doutor em Medicina pelo Departamento de Psiquiatria da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. Médico Pesquisador do LIM-27 do Instituto de Psiquiatria do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo.
HÉLIO LAUAR DE BARROS
Preceptor Chefe da Residência de Psiquiatria do Instituto Raul Soares - FHEMIG, Mestre em Psicologia pela UFMG, professor da PUC Minas, psicanalista da Escola Brasileira de Psicanálise.
Abstract:
Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to cognitive impairment and dementia. Within a global reduction in cognitive skills, the loss of memory-related functions has a pivotal role in the development of functional disability. As opposed to physical handicap, disability due to cognitive impairment is a strong determinant of reduced autonomy, which in turn determines the degree of dependency on a caregiver. We further discuss the role of functional and cognitive screening instruments in the assessment of the degree of autonomy in patients with dementia.
Keywords:Alzheimer’s disease, autonomy, quality of life, memory, cognitive test, functional assessment scales.