Overview of Dementia

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Introduction
Margaret is a 77 year old who has a diagnosis of dementia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. She has been recently separated from her daughter who was her primary carer and her husband who were both unable to cope with her agitated behaviour. Margaret now resides in an age care facility. Margaret’s mental and emotional health is a cause for concern and the family are upset and are struggling with feelings of guilt and anger. This paper with discuss the intervention professional healthcare workers can implement to reduce the turbulence of this transitional period for all individuals involved. The reassuring of the family will firstly be discussed as will the interventions used to reduce agitation and unsafe wandering. A description of dementia will follow with a discussion of the importance of carer education and capability. Lastly the salient points of medication adherence will be considered following information on type 2 diabetes mellitus, examined in relation to the experience of dementia. This paper will focus on information, reasoning, methods and the choosing of appropriated interventions. Desired outcomes are a healthy, content client and a family relieved of situational stress.

Consoling the family
Family caregivers are sometimes referred to as “secondary patients,” who deserve and require sanctuary and direction (Reinhard, Given, Petlick, & Bemis, 2008). Margaret’s husband Edward and daughter Sally, Despite giving primary care to the age care facility are very much part caregivers themselves and perform an indispensable role in Margaret’s health. Despite this, research on interventions to increase support for family caregivers have lagged far behind those provided for patients (Reinhard et al., 2008). The fami...

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...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.
Thorpe, C. T., Thorpe, J. M., H, Bartels, C. M., Everett, C. M., & Smith, M. A. (2012). Receipt of Monitoring of Diabetes Mellitus in Older Adults with Comorbid Dementia. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 60(4), 644-651. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.03907.x
Tripathi, M., & Vibha, D. (2010). An approach to and the rationale for the pharmacological management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, 13, S94-S98. doi: 10.4103/0972-2327.74252
Wigg, J. M. (2010). Liberating the wanderers: using technology to unlock doors for those living with dementia. Sociology of Health & Illness, 32(2), 288-303. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2009.01221.x

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