Dementia Care: Understanding Needs and Implementing Effective Interventions

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DEMENTIA CARE
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Dementia Care 2
Dementia Care
Introduction
With an aging society, dementia has increasingly raised major concerns for policy makers
and health care providers and in most cases, where there is need to determine the best possible
care that that should be provided in order to realize better patient outcomes. Dementia further
presents a number of social and psychological effects to the affected individuals among them
including; decreased self-esteem, social isolation, withdrawal from family relationships, reduced
ability to undertake daily activities, and an overall decline in the individual’s quality of life
(Buettner et al, 2016, p. 5). To the family or rather caregivers, dementia may also create
considerable psychological and emotional challenges especially with the experienced
overwhelming difficulties associated with providing care to demented individuals. With severe
stages of dementia, individuals may exhibit extreme behavioral changes comprising of agitation
behaviors where the individual is restless and displays aggressive tendencies (Forbes & Neufeld,
2008, p. 11).
This paper seeks to understand the needs and experiences of Mr. A, a patient currently
experiencing severe stages of dementia, and therefore analyze the implementation plan of the
most suitable intervention method. In light of this purpose, the paper firstly details the biography
of the patient and analyzes his needs based on the assessment model provided by Kitwood
(1993). The second section details the available literature on various methods that are used in the
treatment of dementia. The third section discusses the implementation plan and the evaluation
approaches that were used to determine how Mr. A responded to the intervention. The final

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section concludes by providing the implication of the form of intervention to the current medical
practice.
Biography
Mr. A was forced into early retirement in order to take care of his beloved wife who had
then been diagnosed with a fatal disease. The two had enjoyed a happy married life through
which they were blessed with three children, two daughters and a son, and four grandchildren.
Their marriage had begun when Mr. A was 32 years old and before her wife passed away, the
couple had enjoyed 52 years in marriage. The memories of this marriage were held dear by Mr.
A and he would often reminisce the good times with his children and grandchildren. Most
importantly, Mr. A has maintained his love for music throughout his life and as a novelist; Mr. A
has consistently expressed his love for the poetry that is found in old classical music.
Currently, Mr. A has been left under the care of his youngest daughter. At the age of 86,
Mr. A has however presented a monumental task to her daughter in relation to taking care of the
overwhelming needs of Mr. A. The exhaustion has arisen from the fact that Mr. A had previously
been diagnosed with dementia and was left under the care of her daughter with occasional
interventions being provided by home care workers. In the early stages of dementia, Mr. A
exhibited mild symptoms which on his insistence, he was determined to overcome the condition
single-handedly. However, the severity of the condition has considerably impacted on his quality
of life especially since he has recently experienced a deterioration in his behavioral, physical and
psychological health. These deteriorations have been evidenced by certain changes in his
behaviors including; excessive aggression, hallucination of his wife and constant anxiety.
Following the revelation of these signs coupled with the adverse effects that medication

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treatment has on Mr. A’s physical health, the family members have jointly agreed that Mr. A be
admitted to a nursing home where he can receive appropriate care in accordance with his health
needs.
Dialectics of Dementia
In order to fully assess the needs of the patient, it is critical that his social and
psychological well-being be taken into consideration. To fully realize this objective, Kitwood’s
dialectic’s of dementia model will be used to assess the five main elements that contribute to the
dementia process (Kitwood, 1993, p. 541).
Personality
As a novelist, Mr. A has maintained a conservative life in terms of his social relations and
in most part of his life; he has been surrounded by his family. In such a case, it can be noted that
Mr. A is an introvert who loves to spend his time with his family.
Biography
As aforementioned, his professed love for music has brought him even closer to his
family as they attended music concerts at least once every month. This tradition has however
been disrupted given Mr. A’s progressive agitation and anxiety making it difficult to control him
especially in public settings. After being diagnosed with dementia, Mr. A spent most of his
afternoons with his family especially grandchildren reading them stories. Also, he made it a habit
to listen to music and sing along whenever he found time to do so. As he believed, these
tendencies enabled him to remember the fond memories that he had of his family.
Health Status