African Americans and Dementia - Research Paper Example

 African Americans and Dementia Introduction Human beings suffering from dementia often experience memory loss and lack of intellectual reasoning (Coon, Thompson, and Thompson, 2012). Dementia disorder may not be recognized during early onset period; most family members may not recognize that their family members are suffering from the disorder. In most cases, dementia is difficult to recognize when the individuals is not engaged in complex tasks or is not working. However, when the disorder progresses and the symptoms are become visible and severe, patients lose their ability to perform many tasks necessary for their daily survival. The patients are not able to make good decisions about financial matters, cooking food, personal hygiene, dressing appropriately, and avoiding danger. The family members or other persons around the patients may be required to take full responsibility in the lives of patients by performing these activities. There are institutions set in place to take care of such patients in the society (Schultz, 2000). Dementia is caused by biological factors; members of the family can inherit the gene from their parents. However, social roles and societal expectations determine how the life of the patient will be managed. In particular, the manner in which family members and care givers respond to the disorder is determined by culture. Culture affects the level in which family members and care givers are willing to support patients (Schultz, 2000). Providing care for dementia disorder patients is stressful. Care givers and family members must allocate more time and resources in caring for patients. However, the patient may not be able to appreciate the efforts of the family member or the care giver. Dementia patients often have repetitive demands, possessed by anger, and cries for help that can be stressing. Stress caused to the caregiver can lead to depression. Consequently, opinions about stress and reward in care giving vary in different cultures. African American culture African Americans response to individuals suffering from dementia cannot be related to education level. In particular, African American has resorted to religion as well as resorting to denial to help cope. African Americas pray to their God instead of seeking medication to help in treating the disorder. In addition, they view dementia as a natural cause that leads to aging. Care givers seen dementia as being part of the aging process in human beings and may not classify dementia as a disease. The care givers often have little concern about the disease until severe symptoms begin to appear (Downs and Bowers, 2008). Further, African American believes that performance of social roles is more valuable than cognitive functioning. The problems of dementia often continue to be ignored until they become severe. As long as individuals can perform their social roles, care givers will not bother about their cognitive functioning (Downs and Bowers, 2008). Barriers to Treatment African Americans may have less knowledge about health care institutions that care for dementia patients. Awareness about availability of health institutions and health services present in the society is crucial in providing care for dementia patients. Knowledge about assessment center is crucial in proving care for the African American elders, who suffer from the disease more that any other age group in society (Ethnic Elders Care Network, 2012). The availability of finances also affects treatment of dementia. Lack of adequate financial resources has been attributed to poor dementia care in African American community. In particular, African American elders are often uninsured or economically disadvantaged. They cannot afford to pay for medical care needed to manage dementia symptoms (Ethnic Elders Care Network, 2012). Mistrust between the care giver and the patient has also been reported as a major barrier to treatment. African Americans have avoided seeking medical help due to lack of cultural diversity in medical teams. In addition, African Americans are dissatisfied with the formal health care available for them in their communities (Ethnic Elders Care Network, 2012). Consequently, racial discrimination has been attributed to lack of treatment in patients suffering from dementia. In particular, bias against African Americans has been reported in medical institutions. Discriminatory admission practices; have led to few African American seeking medical help to counter the symptoms of dementia (Ethnic Elders Care Network, 2012). Treatment Suggestions Effective treatment of dementia; demands establishment of a rapport within members of caregiver networks. Family members are advised to identify certain care givers they can consult regularly to help the patient overcome the effects of dementia. In addition, proper communication with the care givers is also crucial. Family members should ensure that they communicate all details to the care giver. There are instances whereby family members may or may not want clearly labeled medication. They should communicate with the care giver if they feel uneasy about the label of the medication. Most families are concerned about stigmatization. Information is also necessary in treating dementia. African Americans should be provided with books and other material that contain useful information of dementia. Causes and treatment method should be availed to the African Americans through the internet as well as through educational journals. Informed society can provide care to patients without undergoing denial and stigmatization (Ruiz and Primm, 2009). African American should also be provided with memory enhancers. Medications such as Aricept should be recommended to patients suffering from dementia disorder. Aricept has bee effective in slowing down the progress of dementia, as well as managing behavioral difficulties experienced by patients. Importantly, African Americans should be encouraged to take part in clinical trials aimed at accessing the quality of new medications that are likely to improve cognitive ability in patients (Ruiz and Primm, 2009). Informing African Americans about long-term care can also be effective in treating the disorder. Knowledge about the availability of health institutions providing care such as counseling, home care, day care and support is necessary to the African Americans (Ruiz and Primm, 2009). According to an interview with Professor Thomas Bird, (department of Neurology and medical Genetics, university of Washington), African Americans are at significant risk developing dementia symptoms. Professor Thomas Bird stated that; family members are likely to suffer from dementia because it is a genetically inherited disorder. First degree relatives are at serious risk more than any other member of the family in African American families. In addition, Professor Thomas Bird states that Caucasian families have a lower risk of inheriting the disorder even if they are first-degree relatives. According to him, African American has a higher familial risk in developing dementia symptoms than Caucasian Americans. Consequently, the professor states that old members of the community in African American societies are two times more likely to develop dementia symptoms that any other Caucasian American. The researcher also asserts that African Americans are more susceptible to diabetes, high cholesterol levels in the blood, high blood pressure, and hearth complications. These conditions have been associated with higher risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms. Professor Thomas Bird has had interests in researching genetic inheritance within families suffering from dementia. Conclusion African Americans have put more emphasis on social roles than on cognitive functioning of family members. In particular, African American care givers often fail to address the symptoms of dementia until the symptoms become severe or when the patient cannot fulfill family and social roles. In addition, African American subscribe more strongly than whites to traditional values about care giving. For instance, African Americans repay the debt of being cared for as a child. Effective treatment of dementia demands constant consultation with the care givers to come up with best strategies of providing care to dementia patients. Communication, especially constant consultation with the care givers is necessary in providing care to the patients. Further, family members should ensure that they communicate patient details to the care giver. Effective communication ensures that the care giver knows the perspective to take in providing medication to the patient. References Ethnic Elders Care Network (2012). “African Americans and Dementia”. retrieved from http://www.ethnicelderscare.net/ethnicity%26dementiaA.htm Coon, D.W., Thompson, D And Thompson, L (2012). Innovative Interventions To Reduce Dementia Caregiver Distress: A Clinical Guide. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Downs, M And Bowers, B (2008). Excellence In Dementia Care: Principles And Practice, New York: Mcgraw-Hill International. Ruiz, P. and Primm, A. (2009). Disparities in Psychiatric Care: Clinical And Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Washington DC: Lippincott Williams And Wilkins. Schultz, R. (2000). Handbook on Dementia Care giving: Evidence-Based Interventions For Family Caregivers. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Read More