[Outpatient treatment of patients suffering from Alzheimer dementia. Two exploratory studies on the characteristics of therapy in medical practice].

In two exploratory studies on the outpatient treatment of patients suffering from Alzheimer dementia research was done into the characteristics of therapy in medical practice on the basis of exemplary interviews of 100 doctors in 2000 and 2002. The interviewers discern the burden of the disease for the patients and their relatives. However, medical treatment is still too scarce and inappropriate as the prescribing of antidementia drugs shows, among which especially acetylcholinesterase inhibitors as drugs of first choice. The spectrum of non-pharmacological interventions is applied but psychosocial measures are under-represented. To maintain the Alzheimer patient's functional level and to thus relieve the caring relatives a multimodal therapy should be intensified preferably by comprehensive co-operations.