Ageing in Society

This essay discusses health issues related to ageing, specifically Alzheimer's disease, and its impact on individuals and society. It also explores medical management, assessments/services, and communication strategies for people with dementia.

Running head: AGEING IN SOCIETY 1
Ageing in Society
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Ageing in society
Introduction
According to Walker (2018), ageing is considered a normal biological process that every
living creature undergoes during lifetime. Ageing increases susceptibility to some illness and
diseases such as dementia. Study on “ageing” enable scientists to effectively accomplish their
research operation through the provision of knowledge about genes. The essay below discusses
health issues involving Alzheimer’s disease (a form of dementia), how the disease affects the
older people particularly Mr Glen Waterson, a 72-year old man. The essay also covers medical
management of Alzheimer and services provided to people who are affected by Alzheimer’s
disease as well as the people who are close to them.
Health Issues.
Firstly, Alzheimer disease can either be early-onset and late-onset (Zetterberg &
Mattsson, 2014). Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is considered rare, affecting about 6% of
people at ages 30-60. Most cases of the disease are therefore made up by the late-onset
Alzheimer’s disease, affecting people above the age of 60. There are some risk factors associated
with the causes of Alzheimer's disease. These include old age, the presence of close relative with
the disease, injury to the head or any part that might affect the brain, reduced physical activity,
hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol levels or atrial fibrillation. In some cases, Alzheimer's
disease causes down syndrome. Any of these factors contribute to the occurrence of Alzheimer's
disease.
Consequently, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common Dementia in Australia. The
disease accounts for 50-70% of cases of Dementia syndrome (Babulal et al. 2019).

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Approximately 160,000 Australians have been affected by Dementia. Australians above 80 years
of age suffer severe dementia, women being at higher risk than men. According to the report
published on 30th July 2016, there has been a decline in the prevalence of dementia in countries
with high incomes. Some statistics also show increasing prevalence in low income countries such
as East Asia (Prince et, al., 2016). Therefore, Australia being a low income nation is at higher
risk of the disease. Hence, Alzheimer's disease is common in Australia and will still affect the
number of old people in the country.
On the same note, Alzheimer’s disease has several impacts on Australia. Johnstone
(2016), reported that Alzheimer’s disease was the second leading cause of deaths in Australia by
2014 after heart diseases. Women are said to be dying of the disease more than men. More
deaths in women are related to the reduction of female hormone production after menopause.
The hormones play a vital role in cardiovascular function and memory. The disease has not only
impacted the individual families but the country as a whole. The government of Australia spent
more than $4.9 billion in 2010 to handle the disease. Such expenditures affect the economic
growth of the nation as more finance is being allocated to curb the disease than to development
projects.
Besides, Alzheimer’s disease has some common symptoms and factors that contribute to
its existence. Gnanamanickam et, al., 2018, highlight the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease as;
lapses in memory, deteriorating social abilities, unpredictable emotions, difficulties in
remembering recent events, inability to process question, loss of interest in the previously
enjoyed activity and lack of certainty during a conversation. These symptoms progress at
different speeds depending on an individual and the part of the brain affected. The signs,
however, worsen in the time of fatigue, the stress of illness.

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Medical Management
Purchasing medicines without a doctor's prescription have been an everyday habit.
People buy complementary drugs to treat common diseases. In the case study, Jenny (Mr Glen's
daughter) bought some complementary Glucosamine and Fish oil to her father. Before one could
purchase the drugs, he/she must consider the medical requirements. One such concern is the
dosage. The wrong dosage may be catastrophic, taking into account that a doctor does not
prescribe the medicine. Another matter is the possibility of complementary medicine causing
health problems. The effectiveness of the drug in treating the disease should also be of interest.
The degree of illness is yet another critical concern since any delay in treatment may lead to
severe issues, even death (dementia.org.au, 2019). These concerns are essential before one starts
taking complementary medicine.
On the contrary, complementary medicines have a drastic effect when they are
incompatible with the system of the person taking them. Body systems react differently to drugs.
The body reactions require that the most appropriate medication should be prescribed to a
patient. With no doctor's subscription, such patients are at risk of body-drug unknown response.
Using complementary medicine may result in an antibody reaction against the drug as it
considers the drug a foreign antigen (Douthit, 2017). Drug-body reaction is widespread in old
people when their body systems are not compatible with the drugs. This incompatibility leads to
serious health issues such as allergy.
Similarly, complementary medicines have some side effects. According to Better health
(2016), these complementary drugs may have adverse reactions with other medicines in the
body. The results can at times be hypersensitive, mutagenic or drug interactions. The reactions
are considered toxic to the body and can cause harm. The older people using these drugs are also

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at risk of contamination with steroids. It is, therefore, not recommended to give an older person
any medicine which is not prescribed by the doctor.
Again, the use of multiple medications by a patient result to polypharmacy.
Polypharmacy is common in adults with intellectual disability; for instance, the case of Mr Glen
who took his morning and evening dosage at once. The situation is risky and must be monitored
by the doctor as it may lead to death. Older patients exposed to complementary medicine may
end up with this unintended effect (Zhao, Otieno, Akpan, & Moots, 2017). The result can further
increase the injury caused by medication. Due to polypharmacy, the side effects of drugs can be
misdiagnosed as symptoms of another problem which results to further prescription and further
side effects.
Assessments/Services.
People with dementia such as Mr Glen requires close attention to keep him safe. Some of
the services which can be offered to him include personal assistance by supervising his
medication. This help ensures he doesn't overdose himself. He should further be assisted in
getting his meals. Mr Glen also requires palliative care under a specialized health service
provider to offer advice to his care providers. Psychological education through counselling is
also an essential service for Mr Glen. He should still be trained physically to retard the
progression of the brain disorder (Chen, Zhang, & Huang, 2016).
On the other hand, the people close to Mr Glen, i.e. Jenny and Mark should also be given
some services. They can receive advises on how to value Mr Glen by showing him affection,
listening to him. Other educational services which can be offered to Jane and Mark include
helping Mr Glen make choices, giving him tasks that he can enjoy doing, avoiding scolding and
criticizing him. Furthermore, they need to provide him with all due respect that he deserves.

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Apart from the services offered, other assessments are essential for the well-being of Mr
Glen. One of the evaluations is the Regional Assessment Service (RAS). This is a national
assessment workforce which operates at the regional level (Maestre, 2012). It provides a face-to-
face assessment of older people at their homes. NSW Health as an agency of RAS play vital
roles in assessing the clients with rabblement focus, referring the assessed clients to other funded
aged care services and Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP). The agencies also
estimate the existing clients when their circumstances change.
Fortunately, support groups are available to help provide mentorship to people with
dementia. Reliable support available for Mr Glen, Jenny and Mark are the Dementia Alliance
International (Mitchell, 2012). Members of this group provide online peer support to people with
dementia. This means that the services can be received regardless of the member’s location,
provided they are accessible through the internet. Online video conferencing and Facebook are
some of the social media platforms used for connection between members. The purpose of the
support group is to provide mentoring, both as a group and through peer-to-peer. The peer-to-
peer support groups operate on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Supports offered in the group
include education of members on dementia, help dementia patients know that they are not alone,
educate on new ways to cope with stress and emotions, and providing residential care for
members living inaccessible areas.
Communication
Furthermore, Jenny and Mark need to understand Mr Glen if they are to care for him at
home. In my view, the two need to have information regarding how the disease has progressed
on Mr Glen. With this information, they will be able to establish the extent of brain damage that
the virus has caused. The condition is also most likely to affect communication abilities (Cronin,

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Ward, Pugh, King & Price, 2011). Jenny and Mark can take care of Mr Glen at home by
providing him with the necessary services such as cooking his food, engaging him in short
conversations to keep his brain active and improve his communication abilities. Therefore, it is
required for Jenny and Mark first to understand the situation of Mr Glen then try to find some
solutions to the problems.
Nurses play a significant role in delivering quality services to the patients. Therefore, the
concerns of the families and their patients have to be communicated to the nursing practitioners.
From this effective communication of the concerns to the nurses, then the practitioners can make
effective decisions in providing care to the patients. The concept of communication does not
only circumnavigate verbal words but also incorporate symbolism. Gestures and facial
expressions tell a lot about the patients. Therefore, it is significant for the nurses to observe the
behaviors of the patients and their family members. Such will enable the practitioners to identify
potential issues that may impact on discharge planning (Chan, 2018). Clear communication with
patients, families and multidisciplinary teams promotes efficiency in the delivery care services
including discharge planning. A typical example of communication approach that has proven to
be significant in the provision of services to the services is handing over data regarding the level
of healthcare and assistance to the patient.
Finally, people with dementia need unique communication strategies. Losing the ability
to communicate is the most frustrating problem when dealing with dementia people (Victoria,
2014). When speaking with a person who has dementia, always be clear and talk calmly, using
simple sentences that the brain can analyze quickly. It would be irrational to use complex
sentences on individuals with mental disorders. Usually, the brain is a very sensitive part of the
body that requires lighter tasks when troubled. Therefore, the use of complex sentences exposes

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the patient to deep thoughts which are likely to worsen the situation. It is also advisable to avoid
asking such persons many questions as this can make them frustrated since they can't find the
answer soon. Always try to have a short conversation with these people because they become
tired of talking easily.
Conclusion
In conclusion, dementia is common in old people in most world countries. As discussed
above, it is the second leading cause of death in Australia. It is also seen that Alzheimer’s disease
may affect the intellectual ability of an older person and lead to polypharmacy. This is evident in
Mr Glen's case of combining dosage. It is however clear that people who have dementia can
receive assessments and services that can help them in their homes. Presences of support groups
help provide the relevant healthcare services. Taking care of people with Alzheimer's disease
require the person providing the services to fully understand the patient as the disease affect most
of the normal functioning of the brain of such people.

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