Best Practices for Imparting Holistic Care to Dementia Patients

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Introduction:
According to the statistical report published by the World Health Organization, it has
been estimated that approximately 50 million individuals are living with Dementia globally
(Dementia Statistics Hub, 2019). It has further been predicted that the estimated statistical figure
could potentially reach up to 82 million by the end of the year 2030 (Dementia Statistics Hub,
2019). In addition to this, studies have indicated that the every year approximately 9.9 million
new cases of Dementia are reported globally (Prince et al., 2013). Also, the prevalence of
Dementia has increased by 30% in comparison to the annual data that was published by the
Alzheimer’s Disease International and World Health Organization in the year 2010 (Prince et al.,
2013). The statistical facts and figures clearly indicate that Dementia among the elderly has
emerged out to be a matter of global concern.
Dementia can broadly be defined as a mental health condition that is characterized by
poor cognitive functioning and memory loss (Livingston et al., 2017). It should be noted in this
context, that Dementia is not a disorder or a disease but the term refers to a cluster of symptoms
that represent poor cognitive and memory skills which subsequently interferes with an
individual’s ability to normally carry out the activities of daily living (Alzheimer’s Disease and
Dementia, 2019). The risk of Dementia increases with an advancing age and senior adults aged
65 and above are most commonly affected with Dementia. In this regard it should be noted that
the percentage of older population is rising and it expected to exponentially rise up to the year
2050 (Asha.org, 2019). Also, studies reveal that Dementia patients occupy 25% of the hospital
beds and that the rate of recurrent hospitalization has also reported to be highest in case of
Dementia patients (Dementia Statistics Hub, 2019). Therefore, it is extremely important to
devise appropriate holistic care for the patients in order to reduce the recurrent hospitalization

2NURSING ASSIGNMENT
rate and also promote positive patient outcome. This assignment would therefore evaluate the
evidence base in order to determine the best practice to impart holistic care to Dementia
patients within a healthcare setting.
Discussion:
As has already been discussed the general symptoms of Dementia include gradual loss of
memory and poor cognitive functioning. The intensity of the signs and symptoms typically
increase with the advancing age and even lead to disorientation and communication impairment.
According to the ASHA, the common symptoms in Dementia patients include, distraction and
decreased ability to process information under the category of attention (Asha.org, 2019). In
addition to this, patients also exhibit deficits in recollecting episodic memory, recalling important
dates, names or appointments under the category of learning and memory. Further, patients
experience difficulty in making decisions or regulating self control (Konno et al., 2014). In
addition to this, patient fail to recognize familiar people and environment and the speech
becomes empty and repetitive (Konno et al., 2014). Also, patients become extremely agitated
and experience difficulty in sleeping pattern (Asha.org, 2019). Also, patients experience
fluctuations in mood, develop suspicions and experience of social isolation (Asha.org, 2019).
According to Callahan et al. (2014), adapting a multidisciplinary team based approach for the
care of Dementia patients can help in yielding positive outcome. The researchers in the paper
have also discussed that involvement of a family member in the care process can help in the
provision of effective care (Callahan et al., 2014). However, the researchers in their study
typically identified the problem of increased medical cost in cases of long term hospitalization.
The researchers had thus formulated two economically feasible models of care that include the
organizational model and the implementation approach where in care professionals work in close