After spending time during an internship in an adult day care facility, it was noticeable that most of the patients who had various forms of dementia such as vascular dementia and late onset Alzheimer’s disease, also had type 2 diabetes. The remaining patients who did not have type 2 diabetes, had only mild cognitive decline, all being between 70 and 80 years old. While observing older individuals with type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline, this begged the question; due to cognitive impairment and having type 2 diabetes, which may or may not be creating a greater cognitive decline, does this create another barrier concerning activities of daily living and self-care? The curiosity to learn if there is a correlation between type 2 diabetes
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 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)
Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has very high blood sugar. This is either because the production of insulin is inadequate or because the body cells do not properly respond to insulin. Obesity, on the other hand, is a health condition whereby excess body fat has accumulated to an extent where it has a negative effect on health. This leads to reduced life expectancy and increased health problems. Diabetes and obesity are closely tied as doctors highly link diabetes to people’s weight problem. This study focuses on the relationship between obesity and diabetes and the care for patients suffering from these conditions.
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
The purpose of this study is to research the disease Type 2 Diabetes and to discover whether it is being effectively treated and prevented in Merced County, California. According to the National Institutes of Health, Diabetes Mellitus is “a lifelong (chronic) disease in which there are high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. It is also the most common form of Diabetes”.1 Furthermore, there are many risk and lifestyle factors associated with this disease, but the most prevalent are; obesity (#1 risk factor), sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, family history and genetics, increased age, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and a history of gestational diabetes.2 The long term complications of having type 2 diabetes can include but are not limited to; eye problems (cataracts and glaucoma), foot problems (neuropathy/ nerve damage), skin problems (infections), high blood pressure (which raises your risk for heart attack, stroke, eye problems and kidney disease), hearing loss, oral health, mental health and early death.3
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.
This paper is on dementia, a late-life disorder, as it pertains to the geriatric population. “It is estimated that 24.3 million people around the world have dementia and that, with an estimated 4.6 million new cases every year, we can expect about 43 million people and their families to have to handle the challenge of dementia by 2020.” (McNamera, 2011) I will cover three relevant points concerning this disorder that cause changes in the brain.
Successful Aging Elderly (SAE) Introduction In the elderly population most of the research carried out so far emphasizes on the functional problems and diseases. When it comes to successful aging elderly (SEA), it has been recommended that health status should be used to distinguish between elderly subgroups and disease-free people who can describe successful aging elderly (SAE). The research papers aims to describe a transitory overview of successful aging elderly research, illustrated in their chief sections: cognitive aspects, psychological and social aspects. It is proposed that future studies will unemployment an extensive demonstration of SAE, where the emphasis will be more on biological, health and cognitive perspectives.
Dementia is a disease effecting nearly thirty-six million people worldwide (Whiteman, 2014). Even with so many elderly suffering from the disease, there are many people who don’t know what dementia truly is. People often jump too quickly to the conclusion that dementia is a disease that only effects the memory. They may believe that dementia is inevitable and cannot be cured in any case. They may also believe that dementia is something the majority of elderly will experience when they get older.
Dementia is common in older adults and may develop gradually or even suddenly. Dementia is very common and is used as an umbrella term to describe a wide range of symptoms. 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
Many countries globally are faced with unprecedented demographic changes from high mortality and fertility to low mortality and fertility, giving rise to an ageing population. Population ageing is profound and enduring, and has major consequences and implications for all facets of human life. With a larger proportion of older people, one of the major concerns is health and health care. The health of older persons generally declines with age and some illness are more likely to be associated with older people. One of such illness is dementia. As the life expectancies of the general population have dramatically increased since the turn of the century, more and more people are at risk of developing a dementia (National Institute of Aging, 2000).
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by inadequate insulin secretion by the pancreas or cellular destruction leading to an insulin deficiency. Depending on the cause of the insulin shortage, diabetes can be subcategorized into type I and type II. Type I diabetes (T1DM) is usually mediated by the destruction of b-cells in the pancreas resulting in decreased insulin production and secretion. Type II diabetes (T2DM) is the failure of these b-cells to secrete adequate amounts of insulin to compensate for insulin resistance and increased gluconeogenesis combined with an overall resistance to the insulin action (8., 1997). T2DM accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes cases.
Diabetes mellitus also known simply as diabetes refers to a group of metabolic diseases which affect the body’s homeostatic mechanism used for maintaining and regulating the body’s blood sugar levels. Diabetes is a chronic condition which, in 2013 was estimated to be affecting 382 million people worldwide.[1] People suffering from diabetes are required to constantly be vigilant of their blood sugar levels to ensure it does not go below or above optimum levels. Depending on the type of diabetes and glucose level range, they may need to inject themselves with insulin or eat high sugar foods to restabilise their body. Failure to do so can lead to other long term health effects.[2]
Finally, communication, an important Activity of Daily Living (ADL) is explored and patient/carer advice is presented so as to maintain good health conditions in the patient. Analysis of Dementia According to Miller, 2009, dementia is the most accurate expression which illustrates the development of cognitive impairment. It exemplifies the diverse brain anarchies which ultimately lead to severe brain dysfunction (Alzheimer Australia, 2011). Dementia is the leading cause of disability in older adults in Australia, accounting for 17 percent of the cases (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2004). Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Vascular Dementia (VD), Frontotemporal Dementia (FD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) are the well-known forms of this disease.
Many countries globally are faced with unprecedented demographic changes from high mortality and fertility to low mortality and fertility, giving rise to an ageing population. Population ageing is profound and enduring, and has major consequences and implications for all facets of human life. With a larger proportion of older people, one of the major concerns is health care. The health of older persons generally declines with age and some illness are more likely to be associated with older people. One of such illness is dementia. As the life expectancies of the general population have dramatically increased since the turn of the century, more and more people are at risk of developing dementia (National Institute of Aging, 2000).