Health and Social Care
Delivery for People with
Dementia
An Academic presentation by
Dr. Nancy Agnes, Head, Technical Operations, Tutors India
Group: www.tutorsindia.com
Email: info@tutorsindia.com
TODAY'S DISCUSSION
Outline
Introduction
Defining Dementia
Care Delivery
Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
Disabilities can be caused by several factors and one
of the leading causes of disability amongst the elderly
population has been recognized as dementia.
It has also been observed that the prevalence of
dementia tends to double during a span of twenty
years wherein the estimated costs of the gross
domestic product is pegged at 1 per cent.
The necessities of people suffering with dementia are
quite cumulative, chronic and they warrant support
from social and healthcare and also from care-givers
from the family.
Contd...
Dementia is known to make a deep societal impact and the
advantages presented by prioritizing early identification of patients
are quite well-rehearsed.
This would comprise of predicting the future requirements of
patients and their families and also access to interventions at an
early stage.
Psychosocial interventions and utilizing medications within primary
care for people with dementia tends to provide substantial
advantages for enhancing the level of care that is provided.
Contd...
It has been stated by Alzheimer’s Society that the
number of people in the UK who have been
diagnosed with dementia totals around 850,000.
The authors further state that this number would
witness an exponential increase over the
forthcoming decades.
As a matter of fact, goes on to add that one out of
every three individuals who have been born in 2015
would tend to develop dementia during the course of
their life.
Contd...
Such statistics tend to draw the attention on the growing issue of
dementia within the UK thus rendering it significant for diverse
social and healthcare professionals to provide health and social
care in an effective manner to individuals suffering from dementia.
This brief essay will deliberate about social and healthcare delivery
to individuals with dementia on the basis of a bio-psychosocial
viewpoint.
[Suprising with the Statistics of Demantia? Want to write a thesis
paper on healthcare? Mail us to info@tutorsindia.com]
Figure 1: Global Incidence of Dementia
DEFINING DEMENTIA
Dementia has been defined by NICE guideline as a rather
progressive as well as irreversible clinical syndrome that causes
diverse kinds of damages to mental functions like, loss of
memory, disorientation, language impairments, challenges in
executing day-to-day activities, self-neglect, personality changes,
out of character behaviours and psychiatric symptoms.
On the basis of this definition, it becomes clear as to the manner
in which dementia is known to impact not just the physical or
biological facets of the health of an individual but also the
sociological and psychological facets.
Contd...
Tackling these are of much significance as it has been stated by the
World Health Organization (WHO) that health refers to state of
overall mental, social and physical well-being and does not
exclusively refer to a lack of infirmity or disease.
However, it would also make sense to mention that as of now
dementia is incurable.
This is mainly owing to the fact that dementia is an outcome of
various underlying health conditions.
Contd...
Therefore, it is not possible to have a single cure for all kinds of dementia.
The several kinds of dementia would comprise of; vascular dementia, frontotemporal
dementia, Alzheimer’s (the most common form), dementia with lewy bodies and
several others.
CARE DELIVERY
There is scope for deliberating that the focus in terms of provision
of care for people with dementia would be to assist them to cope
and manage their condition in a highly effective manner, while
preventing complications as well as other challenges associated
with health that would be an outcome of a gradual progression of
symptoms and illness.
It has been stated by Handley, Bunn and Goodman that social and
health care professionals should focus more on sustaining the
independence of patients as much as possible while tackling the
challenges confronted by patients in terms of their day-to-day
functioning, in order to increase their functionality while reducing
the need for support.
Contd...
It would also be critical to stress upon the fact that care management
in dementia is rather individualistic as all individuals with dementia
might be confronted with distinct challenges related to their ailment
and this would largely hinge on the stage and nature of their disease.
From a psychosocial viewpoint, the argument that people who have
been diagnosed with dementia tend to suffer negative feelings with
regards to their diagnosis, does hold true.
Contd...
In the likely instance that the patient happens to be a female who has
been diagnosed with dementia recently, it would be important on the
part of social and healthcare professionals to provide the patient and
her family with adequate information that would allow them to better
understand the disease and thus be better prepared to cope with the
changes that the patient and her family members might experience as
an outcome of the diagnosis of dementia of the patient.
This argument is supported with a cross-sectional study that was
carried out by Lee, Roen and Thornton which found that it was
necessary for people with dementia to be in a position to understand
and derive sense from their diagnosis as this would prove to be
helpful to them in effectively tackling issues pertaining to the required
adjustments they would have to undergo as an outcome of their
ailment.
CONLCUSION
Care management in dementia would comprise of
tackling the psychosocial and biological effects that
emerge due to the condition.
The focus in terms of care delivery should be directed
at assisting the patient to sustain their functionality
without any unnecessary complications and
effectively allowing the patient and the family to cope
with the condition.
Contd...
Social as well as healthcare professionals need to make sure that
interventions of care are largely personalized which indicate that the
stage of dementia and the required concerns and necessities of
patients should be initially identified using diverse strategies and
tools.
Offering information to the patient as well as his or her family is critical
as it allows them to get better insights about the condition and thus
circumvent any burden or stigma associated with dementia.
CONTACT US
UNITED KINGDOM
+44-1143520021
INDIA
+91-4448137070
EMAIL
info@tutorsindia.com