The world's older population has been growing at a rate of 2.4% per year during the past decade, and in the year 2000 there were 580 million people aged 60 years or older (World Health Organization, 1998). With the 85 years and older group being the fastest growing segment of the population, age-related diseases and disabilities are rapidly increasing. Psychiatric morbidity is common in later life; 15% of older adults have clinically significant mental health disorders, with neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia taking the lead (Regier et al., 1998). Substantial progress has been made in the quest to unravel the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to dementia, improve the accuracy of early diagnosis, and develop dementia treatment-specific compounds. However, such developments may take decades to have a significant impact on clinical practice.