Hello Caring
for You Members,
This month
we are discussing “Dementia” for our education blog.
Happy
Reading J
INTRODUCTION TO DEMENTIA
AND “DEMENTIA DYNAMICS TOOLKIT”.
Dementia is
a general term which is used to describe various symptoms of cognitive decline
which interfere with a person’s ability to attend to daily activities.
Dementia is caused by brain cell death
and also neurodegenerative diseases.
The most common age for occurrence is >65
years, however it is not an age specific disease.
Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia
which accounts for 60 – 80% of cases. There is no cure, however treatment for
symptoms are available and research continues to grow within this field.
Depending on the part of the brain which
is affected, symptoms do vary within individuals. Impairments to memory,
communication and thinking are the main symptoms.
Examples of cognitive decline symptoms could
include an individual when they:
- Ask the same question repeatedly
- Have difficulty doing daily tasks like making a cup of tea and then forget to drink it
- Disorientated to time, place and/or person
- Forget words
- Experience difficulty with abstract thinking,
- Misplace items
- Display signs of personality changes (e.g. become fearful, irritable and suspicious)
By adopting the right practice and
strategies for care, we as healthcare professionals can help support and assist people throughout the course of the
disease.
This can be achieved by carers viewing the
individual as a person, not just viewing the symptoms of the disease.
To help this process the “Dementia Dynamics Toolkit” was
developed and throughout 2014/2015 has been in the process of being distributed
and implemented within all residential aged care facilities.
This toolkit educates healthcare
professionals on how to respond to behaviours of concern (aka “Responsive Behaviours”).
This new model focuses on “a person centred approach.”
Modern dementia care firstly revolves
around the concept of people acknowledging that people with dementia are people
with unique needs who deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
The “person centred approach” considers past
experiences, relationships with family and friends, interactions with staff
members and the physical and social environment of a residential care facility
all directly having a powerful impact on how an individual experiences the
effects of dementia and therefore responds.
The model reinforces the importance of
looking at the personality, life story, physical health, social preferences and
the physical environment of the person with dementia and how this impacts their
behaviours.
The “Dementia Dynamic Toolkit” highlights that
the person and their well-being is more important than the task.
An individual’s behaviour is a form of
communication. Behaviours can be demonstrated when people with dementia are
unable to express their emotions with words. Invisible triggers
like pain, infection, hunger, thirst, and emotions can trigger responsive behaviours.
Getting to know the individual can help explain
these behaviours and crucial to best practice.
Reducing responsive behaviour will decrease
stress and improve quality of life for the person with dementia. This will also
make the social environment less stressful for other residents. Workplace
stress levels and the workload for carers will also benefit from the
incorporation of this tool.
Caring for You will be delivering education
sessions in the coming months on the “Dementia Dynamics Toolkit.”
Kind Regards,
Lauren McIver
Nurse Educator
Caring for You Nursing Agency
