Self-Management Of A Patient With Dementia

Running Head: SELF-MANAGEMENT OF A PATIENT WITH DEMENTIA 1
Self-Management Of A Patient With Dementia
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Self-Management Of A Patient With Dementia
Based on the self-efficacy theory, patients have the ability to successfully manage their
chronic illnesses through utilization of self-management programs. The self-management
programs of chronic illnesses involve solving the arising problems, making properly informed
decisions, finding as well as utilizing resources, the formation of a partnership with health care
providers and taking the necessary actions towards the management of chronic illnesses. This
article will discuss how a patient with dementia should utilize the self-management program to
manage this chronic illness at the community level. There is the various factor that supports the
use of self-management approaches in the management of dementia. The most important factor
is the desires of patients living with dementia to manage and control their own care and lives.
The notions of empowerment, partnerships, and control of dementia also contribute to the
championing of self-management of dementia patients (Martin, Turner, Wallace & Bradbury,
2013). Therefore, it can be said that self-management of dementia is the tool, skills, strategies as
well as the connections that persons with the early stages of dementia and also their families
garner in order to control and manage their independence as well as maintain a quality of life.
This paper will include main causes of dementia and a brief pathophysiology, the impact of
dementia on the patient, family, and caregivers, empowerment, cultural safety, health promotion,
the formation of partnerships with the health sector among others.
Main Causes Of Dementia
There are two main causes of dementia which are: brain cell death that results in vascular
dementia and brain injury that causes post-traumatic dementia. However, dementia also has a
genetic undertone and is associated with advanced age. It should be noted that although the
likelihood of one having dementia increases with increase in age, this illness is not part of a

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normal part of aging. Vascular dementia is also known as multi-infarct dementia which occurs
due to the death of brain cells that is caused by various conditions such as the cerebrovascular
illnesses, for instance, stroke. The cell death prevents normal blood flow hence depriving brain
cells oxygen which leads to the development of conditions that result in dementia. The post-
traumatic dementia is caused by traumatic brain injury which causes brain cell death. To a lesser
extent, dementia can result due to prion diseases, damage of the brain cells by HIV infection and
as a result of reversible factors such as thyroid abnormalities, vitamin deficiencies, depression,
and drug interactions.
Pathophysiology Of Dementia
Dementia results from brain cell death due to head injury, stroke, brain tumor, and as a
result of a neurodegenerative disease that causes the progressive death of brain cell that occur
over time. Dementia is a collective word that is used to refer to the various symptoms that cause
a decline in the cognitive functions such as loss of memory, impaired communication, and
thinking. Therefore, it is said to be the symptom of many underlying illnesses and brain
disorders.
The Impact Of Dementia On The Patient
Dementia has psychological, functional, behavioral, emotional and cognitive impacts on
the patient. A diagnosis of dementia causes a huge difference in the life of the patient as one
experiences a range of emotions. The main symptoms associated with dementia include memory
loss, inability to understand and complete familiar tasks, the problem in communication and
language, misplacing things, disorientation, and a problem with abstract thinking. The patient
may also show mood changes, personality changes such that one becomes easily irritable, angry,

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fearful or suspicious, and loss of initiative whereby the patient shows less interest in starting
something new or even going somewhere. Some individuals struggle to deal with some of these
emotions hence may move between emotions in the attempt to adjust. Therefore, these people
may feel terrified about the future, afraid about moments of forgetfulness and confusion, and the
feeling of being upset due to the impact of dementia on their lives. Therefore, self-management
approaches to ensure the support of dementia patients by advocating that caregivers, family
members, and healthcare providers try to understand the feelings of the patient. These parties
should also listen to the worries and concerns of the patients to show them that they are not alone
(Bunn et al. 2014).
The Impact Of Dementia On The Family And Caregivers.
Toms, Quinn, Anderson and Clare (2015) states that dementia often becomes a burden to
the family members and caregivers as the patient requires more attention and resources. This
consumes time as well as resources and can be a difficult experience to the those will low
incomes. However, self-management of dementia reduces the financial burden as the family can
take care of the patient without hospital bills or having to put the patient into a facility (Wimo et
al. 2013). The families and caregivers of patients with dementia can also experience guilt, loss
and grief, and anger. Guilt is commons for the way the person with dementia was treated in the
past, lost tempers and even guilty for not wanting to be given the responsibilities of caring for the
individual with dementia. Grief can be said to be a response to lose. If a person develops
dementia, family members are usually faced with grief due to the loss of the person they used to
know which would mean the loss of a relationship and the loss of the future they had planned to
have together. The family members may also feel angry and frustrated for having to be
caregivers to the family member suffering from dementia. The anger can also result as a result of