...Individuals who suffer from dementia may need to be looked after when the illness develops. At first they are usually cared for by member of their own family, and later may have to be referred over to professionals. In the meantime, whilst individuals are caring for their family members with dementia, they may start to have a decrease on their quality of life, social life, impacted health and an increased likelihood of abuse. Quality of life * Fear – When people care for someone you tend to spend a lot of time with them. Therefore when you are caring for someone within your family who has dementia you will develop stronger relationships with each other which may make the situation more difficult. For example, an individual may develop a fear of losing a family member when they are at the end of their lives. This may cause them to focus less on themselves and more on the individual. * Feeling of lack of control – When caring for a family member with dementia, individuals may start to feel lack of control. This may be because they feel they have no control over the illnesses progression, for example, there isn’t any medication or anything that they can give to the dementia suffers to help them or to stop/slow the progression of the illness. Some people who care for family members with dementia may lose their homes or business etc. in order to pay for extra care needs of the individual. This could mean that they lose control over where they live or how they get their...
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...An Overview of Dementia: How It Has Touched My Life Dementia is an illness that occurs when there is a loss of brain function as a result of the presence of certain diseases. Dementia affects a person’s memory, judgment, behavior, thinking, and language. Dementia includes Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and tends to increase the most from the age of 65. Various references and literature in reference to dementia indicate that the number of patients with dementia will increase significantly as society ages, especially within the next three decades. Dementia causes significant family issues and can become a financial burden on patients and their family members. These burdens impair the ability of a person to function independently and also have a tremendous impact on his or her relationships and quality of life. The subject of this paper will discuss an overview of dementia, treatments of dementia, how it affects human lives, and also the affect dementia has had on the life of the writer of this paper An Overview of Dementia: How It Has Touched My Life As a child growing up in the early 1970s, the writer of this paper can recall his neighborhood. It was peaceful and had a several people who were known elderly and considered as senior citizens. The writer of this paper also remembers when the adults of the neighborhood would speak of the elderly and tend to talk the most about their strange behaviors. Although this was often the case, the talk of...
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...Unit 40: Dementia Care P1: Describe types of dementia and common signs and symptoms. What is dementia? Dementia is a common condition that affects about 800,000 people in the UK. Your risk of developing dementia increases as you get older, and the condition usually occurs in people over the age of 65. Dementia is a syndrome associated with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities. This includes problems with: * memory loss * thinking speed * mental agility * language * understanding * judgment People with dementia can lose interest in their usual activities, and have problems controlling their emotions. They may also find social situations challenging, lose interest in socializing, and aspects of their personality may change. A person with dementia may lose empathy (understanding and compassion), they may see or hear things that other people do not (hallucinations), or they may make false claims or statements. As dementia affects a person's mental abilities, they may find planning and organizing difficult. Being independent may also become a problem. A person with dementia will therefore usually need help from friends or relatives, including help with decision making. Most types of dementia can't be cured, but if it is detected early there are ways to slow it down and maintain mental function. Dementia is a collection of symptoms including memory loss, personality change, and impaired intellectual functions resulting from disease...
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...Unit 33 LEARNING OUTCOME 1 1.1 DESCRIBE THE RANGE OF CAUSES OF DEMENTIA SYNDROME There are many different types of dementia: Alzheimer’s which is usually found in people over the age of 65 (extract from mayo clinic}Although in most cases the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease isn't known, plaques and tangles are often found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. Plaques are clumps of a protein called beta-amyloid, and tangles are fibrous tangles made up of tau protein. Certain genetic factors also may make it more likely that people will develop Alzheimer's. Vascular dementia which is the second most common form of dementia which is caused by reduced blood flow or blocked blood vessels or even a infection of a heart valve (vascular condition. Lewy body dementia which is caused from abnormal clumps of protein that have been found in the brains of people with Lewy body dementia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. (Extract from mayo clinic} Frontotemporal dementia (Formally known as picks disease) is caused by break down of the nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain which controls behaviours, language, thinking and concentration as well as movement. Korsakoffs syndrome Korsakoff's syndrome is a brain disorder usually associated with heavy alcoholconsumption over a long period. Although Korsakoff's syndrome is not strictly speaking adementia, people with the condition experience loss of short-term memory. This factsheet outlines the...
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...The Devastation of Dementia: Pathophysiology and Case Study Introduction Relatively little is known about dementia, a disease which affects over 35 million people worldwide (Norton, et al., 2012). Early signs and symptoms may be confused with the “normal” aging process. Those with the disease often try to cover up their mental decline in the early stages, making early diagnosis even more difficult. Educating the medical community and the general population about the signs, symptoms and causes of dementia is an important step in seeking out a cure for this fatal disease. Dementia is a general term for a syndrome that is progressive in nature and is marked by deterioration in cognitive function that is greater than what would normally be expected. There are many types of dementia, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s Disease accounts for over 60% of the cases of dementia. Vascular Dementia is the second most common form. Others include Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinsonian Dementia, and Frontotemporal Dementia. There is no cure for any type of dementia, although there are treatments that help lessen the symptoms. Dementia is a progressive disorder and always results in death, either from complications such as falls" or pneumonia or the dementia itself. The number of people with dementia worldwide is expected to reach over 115 million by the year 2050. The current cost of treating dementia is over 1.5 times that of all cancers combined (Hurd...
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...There are different types of dementia. Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes dementia. This is the best-known cause of dementia. There are two kinds of abnormal proteins that appear in the brain during the Alzheimer’s. They form clumps that interfere with how brain cells communicate with each other. They also make new memories. Vascular dementia is the second well-known disease that causes dementia. It happens when the blood flow in the brain is reduces. Blood carries oxygen through the vessels and without it the brain cells can die. There are two types of vascular dementia: * Stroke-related dementia happens following a stroke when parts of the brain are affected. This can cause difficulties in speech, coordination and moving. * Subcortical vascular dementia is caused by a series of small changes to blood vessels in the brain. They can damage parts of the brain and cause memory loss. Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is caused by small clumps which appear inside nerve cells in the brain. The protein clumps damage the way nerve cells communicate and work. Sometimes it is difficult to recognize whether it is Alzheimer’s of DLB because some of the symptoms are typical for both. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is disease where frontal and temporal lobes of the brain shrink. There are three types of proteins, which become toxic to brain cells if they clump together. One of the ways of memory impairments happens to the people who are diagnosed with stroke...
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...the process and experience of dementia Outcome 1 1.1 Describe a range of causes of dementia syndrome Dementia is a term for the progressive disease of brain and describes a serious deterioration in mental function, as memory, language, orientation and judgement , The causes of dementia are still not fully understood. Research in dementia is an ongoing and to date number of types of dementia and their causes have been identified. The brain contains billions of cells, in dementia some of these cells stop working properly. Depending what part of brain this occurs in it will affect the way an individual thinks, remembers, walks and communicates. There is a range of causes of dementia here are son of them:- Mixed dementia Mixed dementia is a condition in which abnormalities characteristic of more than one type of dementia occur simultaneously in the brain. Physicians may also call this condition “Dementia multifactorial.” In the most common form of mixed dementia, the abnormal protein deposits associated with Alzheimer's disease coexist with blood vessel problems linked to vascular dementia. Alzheimer’s brain changes also often coexist with Lewy bodies, the abnormal protein deposits characteristic of dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia. In some cases, a person may have brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. It is caused by nerves cells...
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...Caring for Clients with Dementia P3- The Legislation Enduring Power of Attorney Act It is about anyone who is aged 18 or older who has the mental ability to make decisions for themselves can arrange for someone else to make these decisions for them in the future. This legal authority is called ‘power of attorney’. The person who is given power of attorney is known as the ‘attorney’. The person who is giving the power of attorney is known as the ‘donor’. There are three types of attorney. Under the Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) there are personal welfare LPA and property and affairs LPA. The Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPA) deals only with property and affairs. You can have more than one attorney for example someone can appoint attorneys to act jointly when making decisions over their money, but state that only one attorney , acting independently should decide where the person should live. This is supports people with dementia because they may not have the mental capacity to make their own decisions so they may need someone to make their decisions for them. Human Rights Act The Human Rights Act 1998 came into force in the UK in October 2000. It is composed of a series of sections that have the effect of codifying the protections in the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. The Human Rights Act protects all of us. It protects the right to life, the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment, protection against slavery and forced labour, the right to liberty...
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...Supporting individuals with dementia P3 Describe the legislation and frameworks which govern work with individuals with dementia Enduring power of an attorney act- This is a legal tool that allows you to enact someone to make certain decisions on your behalf, this can include finances, health and welfare and also legal help. An attorney is appointed when you are no longer able to make decisions yourself or if you are not of sound mind. Enduring power of an attorney act allows you to choose someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf for example a trusted family member, this person must be over 18, be of sound mind and also be willing to take on this job. If there are no family or friends available one can be appointed to you. If an attorney is appointed to cover your finances such as things concerning property, they will do things on behalf of you such as paying bills, collecting income and/or benefits ensuring everything is there and selling your house. This can be useful for someone with dementia as if it comes to the stage where the person is no longer fit to take care of these financial issues an attorney can be enacted to help them out, also if the person with dementia is safer being put into an home an attorney can cover selling the house at the right price. If an attorney is appointed to deal with health and welfare they will have the job of deciding where is best to live, or day to day needs such as what you eat. If you wish you can give your attorney...
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...increased education for formal and family caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Today’s college students will be asked to fill both of these roles in the future. This study examined the level of knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease among college students. Two-hundred college students at a mid-sized midwestern university completed an online survey that included the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (Carpenter et al., 2009). Although most participants knew that people with Alzheimer’s remember things from the distant past better than more recent events, many college students were unfamiliar with risk factors and average life expectancy. Implications and recommendations for educational programs and curriculum are discussed. Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are significant health concerns affecting our older adult population (Sullivan & Muscat, 2007). As our population continues to age and our demography shifts to higher proportions of elders, the number of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia continues to increase. Although the causes of dementia are numerous, Alzheimer’s disease, which is irreversible and ultimately fatal, is the most common cause of dementia. About 70% of dementias in the United States are caused by Alzheimer’s disease (Brookmeyer, Evans, Hebert, Langa, & Herringa, 2011). This percentage increases to nearly 80% among those 90 years old or greater who have dementia (Brookmeyer et al.,...
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...FLORENCE SMYTH 09TH MARCH 2015 HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE LEVEL THREE. Unit 3 ENABLE RIGHTS AND CHOICES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DEMENTIA WHILST MINIMISING RISKS 1. UNDERSTAND KEY LEGISLATION AND AGREED WAYS OF WORKING THAT SUPPORT THE FULFILMENT OF RIGHTS AND CHOICES AND THE MINIMISING OF RISK OF HARM FOR AN INVIVIDUAL WITH DEMENTIA. 1.1 EXPLAIN THE IMPACT OF KEY LEGISLATION THAT RELATES TO FULFILMENT OF RIGHTS AND CHOICES AND THE MINIMISING OF RISK OF HARM FOR AN INDIVIDUAL WITH DEMENTIA. The key legislations include , Human Rights Act 1998 , Mental Capacity Act 2005 , Adults and Incapacity Act 2000 , Mental Health Act 1995 , Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and Carers Equal Opportunities Act 2004.Each and every individual is under a legal obligation to work within legislation and work within the agreed ways of organisation ensuring that the individual with dementia gets treated within their human rights protected from any form of abuse and that their dignity privacy and respect is maintained, allowing them to have a choice , make decisions living a fulfilled life while keeping them protected at all times. Individuals who are involved in the care of dementia suffers must always be observing their deterioration so changes can be made to minimise risk to the individual while still protecting their human rights and keeping everything in-line with the key legislation taking health and safety into consideration at all times. Together these legislations form...
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...Dementia and Palliative Care Thomas Edison State College Introduction According to the Palliative Medicine article “global prevalence of dementia is almost 36 million people and the numbers are expected to double every 20 years (Ryan, Gardiner, Bellamy, Gott & Ingleton, 2011). With this in mind, in seems dementia is just as prevalent as cancer but these patients do not seem to receive the same end of life care or palliative care. The World Health Organization defines palliative care as An approach that improves quality of life in patients and families facing problems associated with life threatening illness, through prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification, impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and the problems with physical, psychosocial and spiritual. ("Who definition of," 2013) The two article summaries that follow will help healthcare staff understand the great need for palliative care in dementia, from the diagnosis to death. Annotated Bibliography Ryan, T., Gardiner, C., Bellamy, G., Gott, M., & Ingleton, C. (2011). Barriers and facilitators to the receipt of palliative care for people with dementia: The views of medical and nursing staff. Palliative Medicine, 26(7), 879-886. doi: 10.1177/0269216311423443 Tony Ryan and colleagues discuss how “people with dementia often receive too little care whereas end of life care is often characterized by too much” (Ryan, Gardiner, Bellamy, Gott &...
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...Utilization Project Proposal: Topic Selection Dementia is a broad spectrum umbrella word that encompasses many disorders that affect a patient and memory loss. There is Alzheimer’s type dementia, Lewy Body Dementia, delirium and more. As the general population in the United States gets older dementia becomes more and more of a problem. Generally speaking healthcare staff is not adequately educated and trained in dementia and the proper treatment of patients. There are several courses that are offered but there are very few policy and procedures in health care facilities regarding training people to care for dementia patients, and there are very few dementia programs within hospital settings. Topic Selection The topic selection for this paper is the need for dementia programs and policy and procedure related to the care of the dementia patient. The goal for the facilities would be to establish a care team that would be knowledgeable in the care of the different types of dementia. The team would be able to educate families as well as staff and be a resource. A team could examine the best ways to prevent injury to the patients that are in an unfamiliar hospital care environment and help work with the family to aid in the transition between home, the hospital and back again. With the knowledge the team has they can institute a policy and familiarize staff in the hospital of ways to initiate care for any patient with a dementia diagnosis. The team can then educate the patient’s...
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...Dementia is progressive deterioration in intellectual function and other cognitive skills, leading to a decline in the ability to perform activities of daily living. Diagnosis is by history and physical examination. Potentially reversible causes of cognitive impairment (e.g., drugs, delirium, and depression) should be excluded. Treatment is with general measures and usually a cholinesterase inhibitor, memantine, or both (Lichtenberg, et al., 2003). The term 'dementia' is used to describe the symptoms of cognitive decline and normal sensorium that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke and many other rarer conditions. Dementia is not a disease itself but rather a group of symptoms that may accompany certain diseases or conditions. At this time, dementia is irreversible when caused by disease or injury but may be reversible when caused by drugs, alcohol, hormone or vitamin imbalances, or depression. The symptoms of dementia include loss of memory, confusion, and problems with speech and understanding. There is also the loss of intellectual functions (such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning) of sufficient severity to interfere with a person’s daily functioning. Symptoms may also include changes in personality, mood, and behavior. Dementia is also progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse. Each person is unique and will experience dementia in their own way, including how fast...
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...Dementia Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning. This includes thinking, remembering and reasoning. Memory loss is usually accompanied by at least one of the following symptoms: impaired movement, difficulty with language and the inability to plan and initiate appropriate social behavior. Dementia ranges in severity from mild problems in functioning to the most severe stage of complete dependence. There are several types of dementia. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disease. It slows and destroys memory and thinking functions as well as the ability to complete even the simplest everyday tasks. Age related Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia in people over 60. The World Health Organization (2001) estimates that 5 percent of men and 6 percent of women suffer from Alzheimer’s disease worldwide (Whitbourne & Halgin, 2012). Throughout the coming decades the baby boom generation is expected to add 10 million Alzheimer’s cases to the U.S. population alone (Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 2013). Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, which causes issues with the thinking process, memory, and behavior. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s develop slowly and gets worse as time goes on. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s memory loss is very mild but as it progresses it starts disrupting their daily lives. Some of...
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