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Dementia is a disorder which results in loss of thinking, remembering, and reasoning to the extent where behavioral abilities interfere with a person’s daily life and activities. It is a set of symptoms affecting the brain which causes memory loss, starts slowly and increases with loss of the ability to function. In the beginning stages of dementia, a person can still function normally, but as the disorder progresses the activities such as driving, cooking, ironing or boiling a kettle of water becomes difficult, risky and should be monitored. The ability to focus and communicate is so confusing as to where they are, where they are going and sometimes starts wandering and get lost. It was so heartbreaking for me when my mom was diagnosed with
Dementia – is the chain of signs and symptoms which effect the human brain. As a result of this changes in the brain occur which are irreversible. These changes lead to memory loss, difficulty in planning and learning, confusion and changes in behaviour.
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.
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.
People with dementia may be subject to mistreatment and abuse in the community or in care homes and hospitals. Those with dementia can be more vulnerable to abuse as they may find it difficult to discuss their feelings and experiences or remember what happened to them. Dementia can also make it harder to detect abuse.
People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of their belongings, keeping up with plans, remembering appointments or travel dates. Many dementias are progressive. This means that symptoms start out slowly and gradually get worse with time. Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia are diagnosed based on careful medical history, a physical examination, laboratory tests, and the characteristic changes in thinking, day-to-day function and behavior related to each
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia which is a brain disorder that impairs mental functioning. Dementia attacks the part of the brain which controls memory, language, and thought. It makes everyday tasks like remembering to brushing your teeth, or to pay your bills next to impossible to do, which is why so many people who are diagnosed with this disease are in complete care. This disease has different phases, the first being slight forgetfulness and then the persons emotions may heighten as well as language impairment, violent outbursts, loss of bladder control and from there it keeps getting worse until complete dysfunction of the brain occurs and eventually death, which most of the time is the result of infection.
... and duration varies from person to person. It depends on multiple factors, including the age of diagnosis and other medical conditions. The signs and symptoms start with cognitive disturbance as all other forms of dementia begin. We should refrain from being prejudiced and judgmental because of not taking the time to truly understand this disorder and how it may affect one’s life. Education and patience are the best ways to tackle this issue. In this paper, relevant topics involving dementia were discussed. Part one covered the pathology and staging of dementia. Part two explained the most common types of dementia that many people are diagnosed with. Part three summarized the treatment methods used to manage the disorder. We should apply a professional, respectful, and empathic approach while maintaining specific culture traditions to achieve a successful outcome.
“…a group of symptoms that are caused by changes in brain function. Dementia symptoms may include asking the same questions repeatedly; becoming lost in familiar places; being unable to follow directions; getting disoriented about time, people, and places; and neglecting personal safety, hygiene, and nutrition. People with dementia lose their abilities at different rates.”
The word dementia is often used as an umbrella term to describe a wide range of symptoms. Dementia is commonly used to describe those with a decline in mental abilities that potentially interferes with their everyday life. This is common in older adults and may develop gradually or even appear suddenly. It is also important to note that, “dementia is more prevalent in older adults with the rate doubling about every 5 years after the age of 75 (Erber,2005; Papalia et al.,1996)” (Davis, Gfeller, & Thaut, 2008). Dementia not only affects the person who is diagnosed with it but also family and friends. Those who have dementia may have a hard time communicating effectively and that can add stress to those close to them. With regards to that, music therapy can be a great way to maintain mental abilities of those with dementia and help families communicate better with their loved one.
Dementia is a long-term condition that normally affects people aged 65 and over, younger people can be affected. Having dementia can cause loss of key functions to the brain, such as; loss of memory; confusion; speech and language problems; loss of ability to make judgements; loss of concentration; difficulty in processing information; changes in behaviour and personality. These all lead to a person not been able to function properly. The person’s ability to function deteriorates over a period of time and is usually at least 6 months before positive diagnosis of dementia can be made. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases such as Alzheimer’s which is the most common of dementia, vascular which is a series of mini strokes,
Delirium, Depression, and Dementia are some of the most common psychological diagnoses in the elderly today. The three D’s are difficult to differentiate between in older adults because they overlap with each other and can all exist in the same patient at once. Delirium, Dementia, and Depression all affect the elderly’s quality of life and often increase the risks for one another (Downing, Caprio & Lyness, 2013). For the purpose of this paper I will be focusing primarily on the diagnosis of Dementia, the prevention, and nursing measures associated with it, but first I would like to differentiate between Delirium and Depression because Dementia is often associated with the two in the older adult population.
Dementia is a common syndrome found among elderly over the globe. Talking about dementia, the first word emerge from mind is “loss”. Learning about the disease manifestation, it is known that dementia does bring a huge impact to the affected senior so as the caregiver. Many of us used to focus on the losses of dementia client which indeed causing a labeling effect. Remembered in the first lesson, a question “As a case manager, what will you do to help the client with dementia and the family?” was asked. I realized my answer is “Refer the client to suitable care unit”. It seems that my original thought deprived the elderly as I failed to think of other better solution like assisting them to age in the community. Although dementia leads to certain kinds of loss to people with dementia, their needs and strengths should not be neglected. Institutionalization thus may not the best solution. To serve the elderly, I need to modify my thought by adopting a strength-based approach. Practice should not mutually focus on the losses, but to explore more on the possibilities. Boosting the quality of life is also an important issue, empowering the client by bear in mind that “we are not only work for the service users, but work with them”.
Introduction This assignment critically discusses dementia, a widespread disability among older adults today. It provides an introduction to dementia and analyses its prevalence in society. The various forms of dementia are elaborated with descriptions of dysfunctions and symptoms. Nursing Assessment and Interventions are provided in the further sections which discuss actions nurses should take while evaluating patients and treating them.
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease. It is chronic, progressive, degenerative neurological disease of the brain. This will lead to deterioration in cognitive and decline in the ability to function physically. The number of patients will be greatly increased as people live into their 80s and 90s. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common forms of dementia. The cause of Alzheimer disease is unknown, but inherited is possible. People with Alzheimer’s disease have a higher concentration of aluminum in the brain than normal person, but the effect is unknown. The life expectancy of a senior who has Alzheimer’s is reduced 30% to 60%.
Forgetting occasionally happens to everyone. People sometimes can’t find their keys. The final paper is at home, while everyone else is handing the papers into the teacher. Not being able to remember what was for dinner last night or forgetting the new co-worker’s name is normal. It’s not surprising that the brain backfires because there is so much to remember in a lifetime. Often, these memory lapses are inconvenient. However, this could signal a more serious condition, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Recognizing abnormal changes, learning negative factors, and assessing signs are important for understanding memory loss. If forgetting is impacting the daily activities of life, it is time to learn why.