Medicine Grand Rounds, Gary Winzelberg “Medications for Dementia and Its Complications: Are We Treating Patients or Ourselves?”

Dementia (Alzheimer’s disease and other major neurocognitive disorders) affects 15% of the United States’ population older than age 65 and is the sixth leading cause of deaths among all adults. Despite the impact of dementia on patients, families and society, the last FDA-approved treatment was in 2003.

In this presentation, Dr. Winzelberg will share evidence-based approaches to both treating dementia and its behavioral disturbances. Dementia remains a disorder in need of more effective pharmacologic therapies. Dr. Winzelberg will discuss strategies to minimize potential harms from currently available treatments for patients with dementia, including de-prescribing of medications with unfavorable benefit to burden expectations.

Dr. Winzelberg serves as an associate professor in UNC’s Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care Program. He was Medical Director of Carol Woods Retirement Community from 2008-2016. His clinical and teaching interests involve improving the care of vulnerable older adults through effective physician communication with patients and their family caregivers.