Care for a Person with Dementia

   

Added on  2021-06-17

13 Pages3579 Words97 Views
Running head: CARE FOR DEMENTIACare for dementiaName of the student:Name of the university:Author note:
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1CARE FOR DEMENTIAIntroduction: Dementia can be defined a mental health disorder, that has a huge impact on the healthand well-being of the patients, and this progressive disease targets the elderly population. Thereare various different risk factors that are predominating in case of dementia include age, familyhistory, heavy alcohol use, hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, diabetes, highcholesterol, and smoking. Elaborating more, intrinsic damage to the neurons leads to the loss ofcommunication network among the neurons and results in the clinical manifestations associatedwith dementia (Brooker and Latham 2015). Hence, undoubtedly, dementia is a healthcarecomplexity that is associated with various different implications on the lifestyle and livingconditions of the patient and there is a need for specialized care planning and implementationprogram in order to address the different concerns that are caused by dementia in the patient;taking into consideration the overall concepts of health including physical, emotional, spiritual,physical and cognitive health and wellbeing. Although, it has to be mentioned in this context thatin most cases, early, quick, and effective assessment structures are very important for the careplan to be effective and patient-centered (Gauvin and Lavis 2013). This assignment will attemptto discuss a case study including the assessment procedure and tools utilized, the rationale for theassessment procedure and techniques chosen for the case study, the care interventions plannedand implemented, the rationale for their choice and effectiveness of the care provided for thedementia patient.Case scenario description and details: The case that will be discussed in the assignment is a 70-year-old woman who hadrecently received a diagnosis of dementia. In order to honor the privacy of the patient and
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2CARE FOR DEMENTIAconfidentiality of the information that the patient has shared, the patient will be addressed asSharon in the assignment. It has to be mentioned in the context that while designing the care planand the assessment program for a dementia patient, it is crucial for the care team to explore andanalyze the background, lifestyle, and past history of the patient (Robinson et al. 2013). Sharonhad been a widow who used to live with her only daughter in her house; her daughter is namedSarah who had recently moved upstate after her wedding a year and a half ago. The patient statedthat she had been in touch with her daughter over phone, however, the physical distance from heronly daughter and the loneliness she lived with after the demise of her husband 25 years ago, herdepression and insecurities caught up with her and she soon started to neglect her health andstarted excessive smoking and drinking. The past medical history of the patient revealed that shehad been diagnosed with hyperlipidemia a decade ago and along with that ever since herdaughter’s moving away, he had forgotten to diligently take her medication and go for checkupsin the past year. According to the subjective and objective data shared by the patient, sheconfirmed to be having mild memory problems from 6 months ago, which started with forgettingher car keys, forgetting to take her medications. However, the patient resented to the healthcarefacility with the symptoms of lack of memory, inability to focus and be attentive and Confusionand disorientation. Assessment of dementia: Assessment is a very important aspect of planning and implementing dementia care.According to the Sabbagh et al. (2010), the progression of the disease can be very different indifferent individuals. While the disease can progress at a fairly rapid pace and for certain others,the progression of the disease can be more time taking and gradual. As a result it has to bementioned that for proper diagnosis and care planning for a patient it is very important for the
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3CARE FOR DEMENTIAhealthcare provider to employ assessment techniques and tools to assess the exact stage that thepatient is in so that the care provider can employ care activities and interventions that will suitthe exact needs of the patient (Machiels et al., 2017). In this particular test, two particular assessment tools or techniques were used in case ofSharon. The preliminary assessment test that was performed was the 6 item cognitive impairmenttest or the 6-CIT test which is a very commonly utilized test for the dementia settings, and alongwith that this particular type of test is very common assessment tool used in conjunction with theMMSE test to assess the level of organization and planning in the patient according to the UKnational Dementia Strategy(Abdel-Aziz and Larner 2015). The second assessment tool utilizedis called Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test. It has developed as a screeninginstrument which helps in the diagnosis of dementia symptoms such as memory, language, andvisuoperceptual function..In order to describe the procedure, first and foremost, the patient had been informed regardingthe both of the assessment procedures performed and their benefits. In the beginning, Sharon wasa little nervous regarding the type of assessment and sharing personal information, however,when she was informed about the need of the assessment procedure and how it will benefitinefficient and correct diagnosis and a patient centred and targeted care plan that will help hersignificantly. Along with that, she was also informed about the confidentiality and privacyprotection policy of the healthcare facility and soon she was comfortable and convinced enoughto share her woes. The preliminary test was the 6 item cognitive impairment test where thepatient is asked 7 different questions and the patient is required to answer all the differentquestions and on the basis of the answers that the patients is going to be scored. In case thepatient attains a score from 0-7, then the patient is considered to be having no cognitive
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