CNA507-Mental Health - Well Being and Dementia Care

Mental Health - well being and dementia care/Critical reflection essay
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Mental Health - well being and dementia care/Critical reflection essay
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Mental Health - well being and dementia care/Critical reflection essay
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Introduction:
As we age, the efficiency of our body systems slows down. Our mental health too, suffers in
a way. However, while the problems of our body systems can be deducted through various
tests and technologically advanced processes, the degrading mental health is slow to deduct,
and sometimes too late to recover completely. Some of the old age problems, such as
dementia, loss of clarity in thinking processes or degrading memory power are only ignored
with a notion that they are the signs of advancing years. This is where one might go wrong in
identifying the clear distress signals that the people of advanced years (or even in middle age)
tend to communicate. Knowledge and proper vigilance by the care givers, can alter this trend,
and get them under proper medical supervision. (Stevenson, 2013).
This work is a reflection of my own experience in the field of pathophysiology of mental
health in adults and how or where the present day techniques can be applied to enhance my
work experience.
Dementia Care Treatments in Adults:
Often than not, adults approach us with various other complaints, such as not getting enough
sleep or palpitations due to anxiety and weight issues. While not every case is a sure sign of
mental illness, many of these are, sadly, due to deteriorating mental health.
Some of the signs that we look for in patients include:
 Sudden disturbance in sleeping pattern
 Mood swings
 Substance abuse (related to psychological problems)
 Depression
 Changes in normal behaviour

Mental Health - well being and dementia care/Critical reflection essay
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Most of these symptoms are not immediately deducted, although they have started long
before a person comes for medical intervention. However, in several cases, even after feeling
helpless and anxious, the patients do not approach for medical help due to the stigma attached
to mental illness. (Conner, 2010).
In case of dementia, however, the signs are slow and sometimes related to diseases like
stroke.
Some of the symptoms include:
a. Loss of memory (here again, the intensity may differ)
b. Language and communication
c. Problem to focus or pay attention
d. Perception of vision
e. Judgement and reasoning (Dementia- Signs, symptoms and Diagnosis)
Hence, in cases where they approach the experts for treatment, it is essential to have a one-
on- one interview with the patient to review the aspects of their condition. Mental illness
cannot be chunked to one particular box, with fixed symptoms. Each and every patient
(subject) differs in their predicament, and each has their own complications. It is, therefore
the responsibility of the experts, psychologists and other medical health professionals get to
the root cause of the problem before dealing with sufficient solution.
Many a times, in our practise, it becomes extremely difficult to get the person to agree to the
consultation with an expert, since the term ‘mental illness’ is still a taboo in various
communities. The problem becomes further complex, when children (dependents) are
smaller, and do not have means to fend for them. According to a study, almost 21-23% of
children live with at least one parent who suffers from mental illness in Australia. (Goodyear,