Nursing Care Plan: Evidence-Based Strategies for Dementia Patient Care

This nursing care plan addresses the multifaceted challenges of caring for patients with dementia, incorporating diagnoses such as anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. It focuses on managing behavioral symptoms, cognitive impairments, and physical issues like incontinence and pain. The plan outlines interventions like aromatherapy, exercise regimens, and nutritional supplements to improve cognitive function and physical health. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining oral hygiene, providing nutritional support, and utilizing both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies, including music and art therapy, to enhance the patient's quality of life. The plan also stresses the need for assessing and managing pain effectively, considering the patient's potential inability to express discomfort. The evaluation section highlights the expected outcomes, such as improved behavioral symptoms, better cognitive performance, and enhanced overall well-being.

Nursing Care Plan
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Nursing Diagnosis Goals Interventions Rationale Evaluation
1. Dementia, anxiety,
depression, mood
disorders, schizophrenia.
2. Cognitive impairment
and inability to carry out
simplest tasks.
3. Low level of oral
hygiene in dementia
patient.
To manage the
behavioural
symptoms of
dementia,
schizophrenia,
and mood
disorders.
Monitoring pain, providing and
stimulation and social contact,
flexibility in the daily routine of the
older person. Engaging the patient
in constructive activities to remove
the boredom. Aroma therapy and
touch therapy and speech therapy
can be given (Reijnders et al.,
2013).
These non
pharmacologic
interventions can
decrease the behavioural
problems and can induce
independence.
Aromatherapy, touch
therapy can induce
sensory stimulation.
The patient will stop
showing mood disorders
and will ameliorate
behavioural problems.
To assess the
cognitive
problems and
encourage the
patient to carry
out simple tasks.
To conduct short outings with the
patient, preparing routine exercise
regimen for the patient to mobilise
him. Preparing safe working area,
seating preferences, considering
times of the day that suits the
person's best level of functioning,
such as a late afternoon walk
(Reijnders et al., 2013).
Proper exercises would
improve the
cardiovascular benefits,
endurance, motor skills
and would strengthen
balance. Mobilisation
would reduce the disease
associated mental
decline and would also
help in better social and
communication skills.
There would be less risks
of fall and patient would
start doing small, easy
activities.
Maintenance of
oral hygiene
To encourage mouthwashing before
and after the meal using mouth
rinses and fluoride containing
Proper mouthwashing
technique will prevent
tooth decay and gum
Patient would report a
good oral health.

4. Vitamin deficiency
5.Managing incontinence
6. Management of pain
7. Complementary
therapies
toothpastes (Bedi, 2015, Noble et al,
2013).
problems in dementia
patients (Bedi, 2015).
To compensate
the low levels of
vitamins and
minerals in the
body.
To provide the brain healthy food
groups such as leafy vegetables,
whole grains, olive oil, nuts, berries.
Folic acids capsules and vitamin
supplements can also be given in
addition (Moor et al., 2012).
Dementia is associated
with low levels of Vitamin
B 12 and folic acids.
The cognitive deterioration
will slower down.
To encourage
the patient to
seek for help in
toilet, to
immobilise the
patient.
Providing verbal remainders for
regular toilet, adequate fluid intake
to manage faecal incontinence,
giving laxatives for managing
constipation, ensuring access to
toilet with privacy (Kyle, 2012).
Person with dementia
have decreased bladder
capacity and decreased
speed of the detrussor
muscles (Kyle, 2012).
Hence verbal remainders
are required to alert the
patient. proper hydration
would mitigate faecal
constipation(Orme et al.,
2015).
Patient will show lower
levels of incontinence and
higher level of control over
the bladder and will readily
seek help for availing
toilet.
Assessment and
Management of
pain
To assess the intensity of pain on a
scale of 10 by looking at the facial
expression, body movements and
vocalisation.
Application of analgesics opiates for
the pain management.
Dementia and pain co-
occur, it impairs the
ability to describe pain,
pain in patients with
dementia is often
undertreated due to their
inability to express pain.
Facial expression of the
patient would not indicate
any pain.
To provide non-
pharmacologic
therapies for
improving the
quality of life.
Music therapies, art therapies,
stimulatory massages, aroma
therapies.
Music can evoke
memories, soothe one's
mind and stimulate
activities in patients. Art
can be used as the ways
to tap into the memories
Patient would exhibit an
improved quality of life.

of the patients and evoke
the emotions that
remains suppressed
otherwise. Herbal
aromas can have a
calming effect on kind
and can also stimulate
the sense of smell in
dementia patients.
Massages can help to
relax the body and trigger
a sense of well being.
8. Nutritional supplement
To apply
antioxidant rich
food
Encouraging intake of antioxidants
such as green vegetables, kidney
beans, prunes, raisins, oranges and
more.
Antioxidants neutralises
the effects of free oxygen
radicals produced in the
mitochondria.
Show behavioural
improvement.