As Alzheimer's disease and related dementias become more and more common among the aging population, it is important to have educated professionals accessible to persons affected by these diseases and the people providing their care. Occupational therapists and physical therapists can be specially trained to focus on remaining abilities, not deficits, in order to improve the lives of people with dementia.

There are three major areas which impact the ability to provide quality care to people with dementia; deficits in new learning, impairments in communication skills, and functioning. It is possible to identify remaining skills and interventions that facilitate improved participation and successful outcomes. An occupational therapist specially trained in geriatrics and dementia can perform such evaluations, identify skills and deficits, develop customized treatment plans that emphasize remaining abilities while compensating for deficits, and demonstrate increases in functional levels and safety.

The importance of identifying which skills still remain is crucial in designing programs for persons with new learning deficits. Anyone can identify the skills that are no longer present, but it takes the skills of a geriatric specialist to build on the foundation of existing skills in order to maximize function. There is no doubt that it requires unique expertise to improve the quality of life for this very underserved, challenging group of persons who desperately need this specialized therapy service.

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