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DEMENTIA AND PATIENTS

Tobechukwu Ezimora
Dr. Ryan Allen
WRTG 109
4 May 2015
Dementias Slippery Slope and Ways to Improve Care for Patients
In todays society dementia is one of the leading causes of death among the elderly. With
no known cure and an increase in the number of people diagnosed every year, dementia is
quickly becoming a major problem throughout the world. The amount of expenses related to
dementia reach upwards of $200 billion in the U.S. and will more than triple that by 2050
(Inside Dementia, 2012).One possible reason why the expenses is so high may be because
people with dementia stay longer in hospitals and have higher associated costs of care, according
to the Australian Nursing Journal (ANJ, 2013). Even with all this money spent, at best
scientists and researchers know only of risk factors and various symptoms for dementia. A lot of
the risk factors and symptoms found though could also be related to other maladies or simply to
old age. This explains why many people around the world go untreated and undiagnosed for
dementia. For example, studies done by psychologist J. Stamps (2013) have been done that say,
Changes in the sense of smell may be an early sign of Alzheimers disease. These same studies
also admit that the change of smell can be linked to a Parkinsons disease, brain injury, or a
simple sinus infection. Unfortunately, dementia is such a broad disease which has encompasses
many different things.
The most common form of dementia is Alzheimers disease which accounts for 60-80%,
yet there are over 100 other types of dementia (Dementia, 2012). People afflicted with

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dementia must be treated with special care and not be devalued or made to seem less than they
are. In an interview with a former psychology professor named Richard Taylor, he seemed to
greatly advocate for humane care for Alzheimers patients (Spiegel, 2010). During the interview
Richard tells the reporter, as soon as people know you have Alzheimer's, they think you don't
have anything to say anymore (2010). Regrettably, this is a true fact of life, one in which people
especially caregivers and family need to vastly improve upon. This all starts with person-centred
care. According to research done by Margallo-Lana (2001), if applied correctly, ninety percent of
patients with significant dementia symptoms can be alleviated with the right environment as
well. Typically, caregivers focus on valuing the dementia person as an individual,
notwithstanding of progression of the disease. Also, they learn to understand the world from the
patients perspective while providing a strong social environment to fit the specific need
(Brooker, 2007). A patients life is greatly enhanced when following these guidelines to the
fullest. I will have a chance to test out these principles fully later in life.
About two weeks ago my classmates and I traveled to the Sunrise nursing homes to talk
to some of the elderly. The group who we talked to had early-onset dementia which meant most
of their memories should still be intact. Most of the elderly in that group were in their seventies
to eighties and there was only one male in the group. As we were asking them questions I started
to notice at one point the two ladies closest to me were repeating themselves after every lull in
the conversation. Each and every time that it happened, both ladies said the same words with
renewed excitement as if it was the first time they were telling us this. One of the two ladies
would keep on talking about walking to school every day when she was a kid. She also said that
walking is one of the reasons she is still alive and mostly healthy today. After every repeated
statement I made sure to nod my head and smile as if I was just hearing what they said for the

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first time. This seemed to help and they opened up to us even more. We learned that most of
them could still remember their childhood and that a majority of the memories they still had
involved their family. Later on, we talked to the groups elderly companion and I realized that
she really helped keep their minds as sharp as can be by constantly conversing or playing games
with them. Looking back, that was one of the better nursing homes that I went to and more
nursing homes need to conform to what Sunrise does.
Nursing homes can give better treatment for dementia patients by practicing patientcentred care and enabling care. Enabling care ensures that the dementia patient has the right to
their own choice, to move around if they want to, eat by themselves, wash by themselves, and
put on clothes by themselves (Dewing, 2003). This guarantees that the person feels empowered
and reduces the chance to them submitting to dementia. Applying this care to all nursing homes
would not cost a significant amount of money. The money needed would be used to train the
caregivers, nurses, and nursing assistants on how to properly treat people with dementia. If
succeeded the benefits would supersede the costs and may even save some money in the long
run. This type of care does not involve medication and possibly can help reduce the use of drugdependency for dementia patients. To completely take effect training could be effectively
completed in less than a year for all nursing homes.
In conclusion, dementia may perhaps be something that will never be able to be cured or
prevented. That does not mean the people with dementia should not be treated at anything less
than excellent care. It all starts with patient-centred care and next enabling care. With these two
styles, the future of assistance for nurses and caregivers will forever be revolutionized for the
better.

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Reference Page
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