Literature Review Dementia is common among a large population of elderly people. The disease affects not only the individual diagnosed, but also the caregivers that work towards making their life comfortable in the end. Understanding and learning about the disease is crucial in helping those that experience or live with someone who has dementia. The services and support that are currently in affect for elderly people with dementia and the caregivers is poor, and ineffective because of the lack of research and information on the topic. To begin to understand an individual must start to understand the current status of care for the elderly people with dementia. In the twenty-first century there are differences that occur that are unlike past elderly care (Bookman & Kimbrel, 2011). One difference that is looked at is the six key groups that people look for in outsourcing are health care providers, nongovernmental community-based service providers, employers, government, families, and elders themselves (Bookman & Kimbrel, 2011). Roberto and Jarrott (2008) discuss one of the key groups that Bookman and Kimbrel (2011) talk about. In Roberto and Jarrott’s (2008) article they explain that older adults have to rely on family member for instrumental support and more intense care activities. However, this type of care brings a lot of unconditioned difficulties due to the constant care they have to provide the elderly people with dementia. In a recent study it was discovered that caregivers experience stress differently given the circumstance this was shown by analysis of 234 people with dementia (Robertson, Zarit, Duncan, Rovine, & Femia, 2007). The findings were that caregivers in intense and distressed groups experienced higher behaviora... ... middle of paper ... ...uture of Children , 117-140. Butler, R. (2008). The Carers of People with Dementia. BMJ: British Medical Journal , 336, 1260-1261. Gainey, R. R., & Payne, B. K. (2006). Caregiver Burden, Elder Abuse and Alzheimer's Disease: Testing the Relationship. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration , 29, 245-259. Roberto, K. A., & Jarrott, S. E. (2008, January). Family Caregivers of Older Adults: A Life Span Perspective. Family Relations , 100-111. Robertson, S. M., Zarit, S. H., Duncan, L. G., Rovine, M. J., & Femia, E. E. (2007). Family Caregivers Patterns of Positive and Negative Affect. Family Relations , 12-23. Roth, D. L., Perkins, M., Wadley, V. G., Temple, E. M., & Haley, W. E. (2009). Family Caregiving and Emotional Strain: Associations with Quality of Life in a Large National Sample of Middle-Aged and Older Adults. Quality of Life Research , 18, 679-688.
Alzheimer’s disease affects populations in both cities and rural areas. Although only 19% of older adults live in rural areas, up to one-third of rural populations are comprised of older adults (Sun, Kosberg, Kaufman, & Leeper, 2010). In addition to limited access to and suspicion of healthcare and social services for older adults and their caregivers, social isolation plays a great role in rural areas, where opportunities for engagement and interaction may be unavailable or inaccessible (Sun et al., 2010). Healthcare workforce shortages, while present far and wide, are intensified in rural areas and can severely limit a family’s choices when caregivers struggle to meet the needs of individuals with Alzheimer’s (Sun et al., 2010). Research suggests a high level of depression in both persons with dementia and spousal caregivers in rural populations (Haley et al., 2008). Research also suggests the loss of language capacity among individuals with Alzheimer’s limits the individual’s independence.
Dementia is a disease which causes mental debility and affects one’s way of intelligent, attentiveness, recollection and problem-solving (NHS, 2013). As a result of dysfunction of brain cells in some parts of the brain it affects the thinking process then dementia occurs and it usually comes with age (Ibid). It is estimated that 560 000 people suffer from dementia in England and as a result the NHS and Social Care spend about 3.3billion (National Audit Offices)
When the caregiver is a family member and not a professional, the emotional toll is often even greater. It is important for caregivers to remember that they need to take care of themselves first and foremost. Every 69 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease.
Dementia is a difficult disease to understand and handle. A major problem involving these patients are caregivers that are not properly trained and educated to care for people with the disease resulting in issues such as neglect and abuse.
Dementia is a significant health issue in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2012) (AIHW 2012). Whilst Dementia primarily affects older members of the community, it can also affect young people and has a significant influence on overall health and quality of life (AIHW 2012). The type of Dementia is a determinant in the severity and development of symptoms in individuals (Department of Health 2013) (DoH, 2013). The gradual, progressive and irreversible nature of Dementia has a considerable social and physical impact not only on the individual, but also on family and friends.
(Caregiver) The role of a caregiver is vitally important to those that are in need. It requires constant, special care that is specific to those that need it. With dementia, the care giver need to make a proper and trusting relationship with the client. Dementia may cause the client to be fully dependent to the caregiver. (Lindolpho, M., Oliveira, J., Sá, S., Brum, A. K., Valente, G., & Cruz, T, 2014) This special care can include communication, handling troubling behavior, wandering, incontinence, agitation, paranoia, sleeplessness, and bathing. Eating, nutrition, and medication are vitally important to those with Dementia. Those three things can ultimately slow down the progression of Dementia but there is no cure. The consequences of poor nutrition are many, including weight loss, irritability, sleeplessness, bladder or bowel problems and disorientation. (Caregiver 's Guide to Understanding Dementia Behaviors, 2016) Caregivers of persons with dementia are at a negative triad of burden, depression, and grief. (Strong, J. V., & Mast, B. T, 2013) The burden comes from the complete care needed for these clients or family members. Greif has been known to cause depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, increased risk of physical illness, sleep disturbances, difficulty with daily living, relationships or work activities, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol or substance
...re, L. M. (2004). Family caregiving of persons with dementia: prevalence, health effects, and support strategies. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry, 12(3), 240-249.
Alzheimer’s disease is a serious disease which causes people to behave in a challenging way for their family and caregivers to manage. These behaviours are caused by damage to the brain that leads to psychological and functional impairment. Due to this impairment the people with AD are often neglected and labelled by the society. Family caregivers play a massive role in the care of their loved ones with AD. Patients and family caregivers often experience stress in dealing with all the obstacles that Alzheimer’s disease put them through.
Although, more and more senior adults are pressing to live independently, safe and effective care still needs to be provided to them on a daily basis. It is common today in America for most of the care to older adults to be given by family members (Friedemann M.-L., Newman F.L., Buckwalter K.C. & Montgomery R.J.V., 2013). “Caregivers make economic and social sacrifices that endanger their health. They feel burdened, if they receive no assistance with their tasks; however, services available are not sufficiently used.” (Friedemann M.-L., Newman F.L., Buckwalter K.C. & Montgomery R.J.V., 2013) This statement is true to some point by my own experience. A caregiver should focus on caring for the patient and not receiving assistance with her tasks. However, I can seem to understand that the field of care giving should be worked to the best of the ability of the caregiver. If there is no one available to assist you as a caregiver with your task, then you should do your best at doing your task. What should be the go...
There is a dearth of support groups, trained care workers, psychologists or Memory Clinics. A principal review into the care provided to humans dwelling with dementia with the aid of the unit care determined an unacceptable hole in the quality of care that skill human beings are at threat of experiencing terrible care as they go between care homes and
The Alzheimer’s disease has turned prevalent in the United States. The number of affected people is reported to grow every year. The disease does not only affect the patients and their families but also the society at large calling for participation of every person and agency to address it. This task explores how the disease affects the society, assesses its impact on families, the elderly and care givers, and projects the role of social worker in addressing this issue.
This articles explains the decline in cognition and increase in confusion and behaviours with the Alzheimer’s and Dementia patient very well. The researchers used grounded theory to communicate the family caregiver’s experience in the decision-making process for provision of care ongoing for the family member. The study articulates the barriers that the family and caregivers encounter when caring for the family member at home as the disease progresses. It also provides a detailed explanation for the journey that the family and caregivers travel while caring for a loved one at home. It further supports the decision making process that the caregivers encounter during the process of long term care versus keeping the family member at home. Another strength was the attempt to have ethnic diversity in the study, and how they attempted to achieve this. The researchers communicated with many different cultural and religious organizations in an attempt to ensure that the pool of participants represented a multicultural population. The demographic sample of participants with ages ranging from 50 to 87 years of age complemented the research by providing differences experienced at the various ages of caregivers. The themes that arose from this research involved role of the disease in the lives of the caregiver, accessing community supports and the ongoing sense of loss. These themes were well defined, and
There are many issues that can be related to carers of people with dementia. The physical and psychological workload can be attributed as the most common concern among carers (Fjelltun et al., 2009). In addition, O’ Dowd (2007) has stated that carers are more likely to endure more anxiety, and feeling of liability which resulted to carers’ negligence of their own wellbeing. Moreover, carers suffer more stress than those who are not giving care to elderly with dementia. In relation to this, carers’ health is not interrelated with their emotional functioning (Bristow et al., 2008). These different reports suggested that carers undergo psychological issues more notable in comparison with just ordinary people. This can be regarded to carers’ exposure to a stressful environment.
Mohide, E. Ann, George W. Torrance, David L. Streiner, Dorothy Ann Pringle, and Raymond Gilbert. "Measuring the Well-Being of Family Caregivers Using the Time Trade-Off Technique." . Pergamon Press, 25 Sept. 1987. Web. 2 May 2014.
According to the Caregiver Action Network, an estimated 65 million Americans currently serve as caregivers for loved ones who are aging or disabled. This number is likely even higher, but many individuals decline to call themselves caregivers. For many, taking care of family in their time of need is the right and necessary thing to do. Whether they use the title or not, proving care for a loved one is no small task. In order to ensure the best quality of life for both caregiver and care recipient, it is necessary to understand what caregiving entails and the impact it has on day-to-day life.