Living With Dementia in Nursing Home - Dissertation Example

LIVING WELL WITH DEMENTIA IN NURSING HOME CHAPTER TOPIC: Living Well With Dementia in Nursing Home This secondary research is based on how to live well with people suffering from Dementia. The study is aimed to explore on how to support people with dementia, live well with them, how to care, prevent crises, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and improve their quality of life. The study is a synthetic summary of other researchers’ work based on dementia patients in nursing homes, how to care for them and the best ways to improve their health. The whole of the research process relies on secondary sources for data and information. The information presented in the study is based on rigorous and explicit methods of data analysis, based on reliable sources established by other researchers on the dementia. INTRODUCTION The study is dementia centered. It aims at establishing the best ways of living with dementia in order to avoid its effects to human health. Generally, the study is addressing the importance and need of a well living with dementia especially in nursing homes. This is upon the fact that dementia can expose one to danger and health risks yet it has no apparent cure. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ENGDAHL (2013) explains dementia as a kind of illness that is caused by brain disorder. It is caused by failure of some parts of the brain to function properly. The actual cause of failure of the brain functioning is not yet established by the scientists. There is not specific cure of dementia, while its severity intensifies with age. Victims of dementia have problems with thinking and remembering things clearly. Communicating and day to day chores among the victims is also a problem. As elaborated by ELSEVIER (2015) in the book - Confusion and dementia, people living with dementia are also prone to depression, mood swings and cases of aggressiveness. Due to the aspect of forgetting, people suffering from dementia may easily get lost or forget direction, hence going wandering. Over the years, scientists have been studying on the actual cause of the disease, but all in vain. Lack of the appropriate cure of dementia has been a major challenge in the health sectors. However, nursing department has created hope to the issue. The home nursing department has come up with various ways that can be implemented to mitigate the effects of dementia to the victims. These can be summed as living well with dementia in nursing home (CLARKE 2011). The nursing department explains how these patients worsen with age, and the need for personal care and close monitoring of the victims to ensure that their lives are not endangered. A research shows that dementia does not kill, but its effects like forgetting, wandering and even challenges in communicating and cooking can expose the person to danger and even death through accidents. This calls for intense home care, which can be administered by the relatives or even health experts. RATIONALE OF THE STUDY Dementia is very common and most popular to those aged above 65 years. It is a real disease which has infected over 0.7 million people in UK. Due to lack of cure of dementia, the only solution is to learn how to live with these victims, and the best way to handle them and improve their health. Dementia does not kill. However, it makes the live of the victims and their associates very difficult. The study is hereby based on bringing a possible solution to dementia, by establishing ways of living well with dementia in nursing home. The study will act as a purposive solution to the issue of dementia, bringing a lasting solution to the problems associated with dementia. By implementing the policies analyzed in the research, the health of the people living with dementia will be improved, and the risks associated with living with dementia will be mitigated. AIM OF THE STUDY The study is dementia centered. The major aim of the study is to establish the best ways of Living well with dementia in nursing home. This involves establishing ways through which the dementia victims can be taken care of at their homes, in order to prevent cases of danger and risks associated to the disease. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The achievement of the major aim of the study is also tied to the various objectives that the research targets to achieve. Among the objectives of the research proposal are:- i. To establish the challenges facing the people living with dementia ii. To develop health care measures that can be put in place to mitigate the challenges facing these victims of dementia iii. To establish how we can live well with dementia in nursing home as a way of improving their health status iv. To establish the various challenges facing those offering home care to the dementia victims and come up with ways of overcoming these challenges The listed objectives will be a driving force to the achievement of the aim of the study. Establishing ways of Living well with dementia in nursing home can only be achieved by first understanding the challenges the people living with dementia are facing. Upon understanding their challenges, care measures can be put in place to minimize these challenges. Caring for dementia patients through nursing homes is the best way to ensure their well living since dementia has no cure. However, those administering health care measures to the patients also need to first understand the challenging nature of the situation and establish ways of overcoming these challenges in order to achieve the main aim. Addressing the stated objectives fully will ensure that the aim of the study, which is to establish a well living with dementia in nursing home, is achieved. LITERATURE SEARCH STRATEGY GUIDANCE: Been a secondary research, the whole research will be a summary of other researcher work. The researcher will major on what other researchers have done on dementia care. In this cae, secondary sources of information like journals, books, Internet sources and articles will be most appropriate. Among the key words that will be captured in the research are:- i. Family carers - Friends or relations who look after people with dementia ii. Specialist assessment - a health check done by a dementia specialist iii. Dementia adviser - A person who advises people with dementia and their carers where to go for help iv. Diagnosis - Deciding what is wrong with a person’s health ETHICS AND ANTI-OPPRESSIVE PRACTICE CONSIDERATIONS The study is based at betterment of health of the victims of dementia. To avoid stigmatization, the research will avoid capturing personal details like names and areas of residence. Ethic boundaries will not be considered in the research, and data collection will be only by the will of the respondent. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW People living with dementia are prone to many challenges. They tend to forget easily. These is characterized by even forgetting ordinary things like directions, and the victim may end up getting lost or wandering. The victims of dementia also have difficulties in communicating and attending ordinary chores like cooking and bathing. This creates the need for carer, most probably a family carer. The carer will monitor the person’s movement, assist them to accomplish their daily activities and prevent them from health risks like accidents. It will be also the responsibility of the carer to remind the person what they forget (MCGRATH& OCALLAGHAN 2014). The carer should also cover cases of stigmatization of the patient by the society. However, there are also challenges that may be associated with administering assistance to the dementia victims. The service requires some training and an expert who will know how best to handle the person, without anger or frustration, accommodating the person’s situation and live well with the person. This will require involvement of nursing homes that may provide the training to the family carer or even provide a trained carer to address the issue. Addressing these aspects will ensure well living with dementia, improving the person’s health and reducing the risks of dementia (PERRY, HAMMOND & MARSTON 2010). CHAPTER 3 APPLICATION OF THEORY TO PRACTICE Dementia has experiences an ignorant lapse from the health facilitators. The health services major on the serious sicknesses and leave the responsibility of caring to only the family members, who in this case lack the skills and experience of handling such patients. In this case, the victim experiences much difficulties and the case of dementia becomes worse, affecting their daily lives and even exposing the person to risky situations. The aspect of ignorance also extends to individuals, leading to late diagnosis of dementia. A greater percentage of the population has no idea of the ways in which we can support those with dementia, and in many cases, expose the victims to stigmatization and risks. However, the dementia strategy policy can be applied to solve the whole problem. The policy is purposed to enhance high quality service for dementia, provide health guidance and support to the dementia patients and address health inequalities related to dementia. One way of implementing the policy is through creation of awareness. There is need for understanding dementia better. When the victims go for health services, it is often too late in their illness. This means that the illness will have got worse and the chance of improving their quality of life is less. Eliminating the aspect of ignorance is a major step that can lead to early diagnosis of dementia hence improving the health. If there is a diagnosis early enough, a lot can be done to help with the symptoms and to help people to cope. The Nursing Homes also have a responsibility to enlighten the society on dementia, symptoms, prevention measures and the best ways of living with dementia. This requires the education and training programs that will equip the family cares with the necessary skills of handling the victims. There is an urgent need to provide a wide range of services that will cope the dynamic nature of the people living with dementia. It is necessary to work closely with the mental health specialists to help diagnose the first signs of dementia, and having at least one specialist of dealing with dementia in every nursing home. Through creation of awareness, public and professionals will be more aware of dementia and will understand dementia better. This will minimize the many misunderstandings related to dementia and reduce fear and stigmatization, hence encouraging people to seek for help. CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND REFLECTION In conclusion, it is important to devise ways of better living with dementia to mitigate the various risks associated with the disease. Home nursing is hereby necessary to facilitate care to the victims of dementia. Family care in this case is most appropriate since it’s only the relatives who can understand the person best. However, professionalism is also important aspect in living well with dementia at nursing homes. Application of skills is required to facilitate this care and cope with dementia (RAHMAN (2014). I would recommend creation of awareness and general knowledge on dementia as a way of facilitating early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Public knowledge on dementia will also reduce the cases of stigmatization and eases the openness among the victims to share and seek for medical attention and healthcare. From the study, I also learn that there is need for government involvement in fighting dementia. It is the role of government through the health facilities to educate the public on dementia. This will change the public perception on dementia and provide a health living with dementia at nursing homes. Bibliography ANDY CHAPLIN. (2011). Holistic care and environmental design: the future for dementia care. Housing, Care and Support. 14, 91-97. CLARKE, C. L. (2011). Risk assessment and management for living well with dementia. London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=31 ENGDAHL, S. (2013). Dementia. ELSEVIER (FIRM). (2015). Confusion and dementia. MCNAMARA, P. (2011). Dementia. Santa Barbara, Calif, Praeger. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=795039. MCGRATH, M., & OCALLAGHAN, C. (2014). Occupational therapy and dementia care: A survey of practice in the Republic of Ireland. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 61, 92-101. MOORE, P., XHAFA, F., BAROLLI, L., & THOMAS, A. (2013). Monitoring and Detection of Agitation in Dementia: Towards Real-Time and Big-Data Solutions. 128-135. MITCHELL, D. R. (2010). How to live well with early Alzheimers. http://rbdigital.oneclickdigital.com. OYAMA-HIGA M., HIROHASHI Y., & MIAO T. (2010). Consideration for improvement of demetia that uses communications. Conference Proceedings - IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics. 3961-3965. PERRY, D., HAMMOND, L., & MARSTON, G. (2010). Caring for the Physical and Mental Health of People with Learning Disabilities. London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=16660. RAHMAN, S. (2014). Living well with dementia: the importance of the person and the environment for wellbeing. TURKINGTON, C., & MITCHELL, D. (2010). The a to Z of alzheimers disease. [Place of publication not identified], Checkmark Books. PROJECT TIMETABLE GUIDANCE ACTIVITY TIME Study on the research Topic 22 / 11 / 2015 Analyze research materials 23 / 11 / 2015 Compile the information 24 / 11 / 2015 Draft the research project 25 / 11 / 2015 Read More