The Rights People with Dementia Should Have

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Working in a hospital setting predominantly with older people, I have encountered many who have been diagnosed with dementia. Dementia is a term used to describe the symptoms caused by certain diseases or conditions of the brain of which there are two main types; Alzheimer’s disease and Multi Infarct dementia more commonly known as Vascular dementia. Dementia is caused by the death of nerve cells in the brain which cannot be replaced which means that dementia is a progressive condition that gets worse over time and cannot be reversed. It is also a long term condition because it takes months or even years to progress and there is no actual cure. (Alzheimer’s Society 2014) This degenerative condition is more common in older people, however, it is important to recognise the complexity of dementia and how the symptoms will vary depending on the type of dementia the person experiences and that each person’s experience of dementia is unique to them. Through dementia training delivered by my placement provider Sefton Council, I was able to demonstrate and apply to practice my knowledge of dementia, taking into consideration when communicating with this particular lady that she may have impaired cognitive abilities which include, remembering, communicating, understanding, which in turn will affect her executive functions such as learning, reasoning, planning and evaluating. I was able to understand some of the common symptoms of dementia which helped inform my method of intervention and underpin my practice in line with the five statutory principles of the Mental capacity Act (2005). Murphy (1987:121) states ‘dementia is a frightening word. It conjures up pictures of wild eyed people running amok, violent and deranged. Nothing could be f... ... middle of paper ... ...dge: Polity Press The Social Care Institute for Excellence. (SCIE) (2002) Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) prioritising eligibility for care and support [online] available at: http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide33/files/guide33.pdf [accessed 22nd May 2014] Smale, G and Tuson, G. (1993) Empowerment, Assessment, care management and the Skilled Worker. London: Routledge Smith, R (2010) Social Work, Risk, Power. Sociological Research [online] 15(1) p.4 DOI:10.5153/sro.2101 [Accessed 12th may 2014] Swain, J. French, S. Barnes, C. Thomas, C. (2004) Disabling Barriers, Enabling Environments. 2nd ed. London :Sage The Disability Discrimination Act (1995) [online] The National Archives. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/50/contents [Accessed 21st May 2014] Thompson,N. (2001) Anti-discriminatory practice. 3rd edt. Basingstoke: Palgrave

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