Caring for a Person With Dementia Essay example -- Dementia and Aggres

Introduction Dementia is an umbrella term used to explain the gradual decline in multiple areas of functions, which includes thinking, perception, communication, memory, languages, reasoning, and the ability to function (Harrison-Dening 2013). Worldwide, 47.5 million people have dementia and there are 7.7 million new cases every year. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and may contribute to 60–70% of cases. (Alzheimer's society 2014). The complexity of dementia presents a number of behavioural challenges to those who live with dementia and their care providers. Aggressive behaviour seems to be one of the most prevalent challenging behaviours in the different stages of dementia (Weitzel et al 2011). As acute care settings are not the best places for people afflicted with dementia , it is necessary to empower the hospitalised people with dementia and their family members. As nurses are often the central core of care, they should have the potential of positive long-term effect on the lives of people with dementia (Harrison-Dening 2013). Inadequate training, lack of specialised education, negative attitudes and poor practice development can precipitate a failure in the delivery of high-quality care for the hospitalised dementia people (Chater & Hughes 2012). Brain Activity Changes Dementia progressively affects almost all brain functions, including the control of motor function (Plosker & Gauthier 2009). The cell damage leads to tissue shrinkage and limited function in the brain's frontal and temporal lobes, which control emotions, planning, and reasoning, judgment, speaking, understanding and controlling movements (Narvid et al 2009). Consequently people with dementia may suffer the difficulty of solving p... ...rnal Of The Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses' Association (JARNA), 14(3), 8-12. McKay, A., O'Neil, M., & McMonigle, A. (2008). Managing challenging patient behaviors. Journal Of Continuing Education In Nursing, 39(9), 390-391 Plosker, G., & Gauthier, S. (2009). Cerebrolysin: a review of its use in dementia. Drugs & Aging, 26(11), 893-915 Narvid J, M. L. Gorno-Tempini , A. Slavotinek , S. J. DeArmond , Y. H. Cha , B. L. Miller & K.Rankin (2009) Of brain and bone: The unusual case of Dr. A, Neurocase: The Neural Basis of Cognition, 15:3, 190-205. Whall AL; Colling KB; Kolanowski A; Kim H; Hong GS; DeCicco B; Ronis DL; Richards KC; Algase D; Beck C; (2008)Factors associated with aggressive behavior among nursing home residents with dementia.Gerontologist, 2008 Dec; 48 (6): 721-31