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Dementia in Michigan

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Dementia in Michigan

Dementia is one of the mental health issues have been a challenge to the

United States for many years but have started receiving more focus in the recent past

especially in Michigan.The disease leaves a huge burden of unpaid caregiving to the

family of the patient (Hudomiet et al., 2018). Handling dementia patients causes

financial, emotional and psychological trauma to the caregivers. Dementia patients

require constant medical attention as they are prone to hospitalizations. The disease is

one of the leading causes of disabilities in Michigan.The health effects of dementia

are lethal as one loses the ability to manage health conditions. The ability to make

decisions become impaired and the victim fails to make financial and social decisions

(Healthy, n.d).The patient becomes unable to make friends or maintain social

relations. This paper will examine the prevalence and intervention measures of

dementia .

The health effects of dementia are lethal as one loses the ability to manage

health conditions. The ability to make decisions become impaired and the victim fails

to make financial and social decisions (Healthy, n.d).The patient becomes unable to

make friends or maintain social relations.Old people are prone to the illness as the risk

increases as people age. Dementia’s prevalence as per 2012 was 8.8% for people aged

sity-five and above in Michigan (Hudomiet et al., 2018). Women are at the highest

risk of developing dementia than men.People in rural areas are far more likely to go

undiagonized than their urban counterparts. Lack of diagnosis has hampered access to

treatment of the illness and vital information for its management (Healthy, n.d). Early

treatment slows down the development of severe symptoms of dementia and improves

the lives of the patients. Dementia patients are more likely to die early than non-

victims.
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Access to mental health services to Michigan is still a challenge up to date.

Rural areas in Michigan experience shortage of mental health practitioners to attend to

the victims (Mental, 2022). Some counties have no resident psychiatrists forcing the

patients to travel for long distance to seek medication. The situation leaves many

people in the countrysides untreated hence increases burden to their families

especially with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. Only 29.1% of mental health

practitioners need has been met in Michigan (Mental, 2022). The small number of

practitioners are overwhelmed by the number of people they need to attend to and

most victims may not get the best care.The average out of pocket spending for

patients with dementia and other mental health illnesses is $998 in Michigan (Mental,

2022). The barriers to mental health access in Michigan are brought by a large

population of uninsured adults who cannot afford to pay for the medication (Mental,

2022). The number of victims with unmet needs are increasing due to shortage of

health workers and financial constrains.

HP2020 goals on dementia

Happy People 2020 has set goals to improve mental health outcomes of

dementia victims. The organization aims to increase accessibility of available

diagnostic tools to enable medical health personnel detect the illness and allow the

patient access proper medical care (Healthy, n.d). The tools will be made available for

every psychiatric facility in Michigan and other states. HP2020 champions for

reducing the number of undiagnosed victims in the state. It also works on reducing the

effects of severe symptoms of the disease that exposes the victim to self- destructive

behavior. HP2020 also aims to give legal, medical and social support to the families

of the victims to help them cope with the illness (Healthy, n.d). HP2020 advocates
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for the reduction of hospitalizations in adults aged 65 and above in the country. The

organization is also fronting the adoption of healthy behaviors in people .

Intervention measures for Dementia.

Since there is no known cure for dementia, measures are taken to prevent the

onset of the disease and help the victims manage their conditions. Improving early

diagnosis of dementia to enable the victims start treatment before the disease

progresses (Orgeta et al., 2018). Patients should be accorded individualized care and

psychiatrists should find a better way to manage the illness when other underlying

conditions are present.Dementia patients should be tested to determine whether they

have other underlying conditions in their bodies (Orgeta et al., 2018). Conditions like

delirium are known to cause mental degeneration and may aggravate the illness

(Livingston et al., 2020). The state should use Health Professionals Shortage Area

designation to map places that require psychiatrists and employ them to assist the

people (Livingston et al., 2020). The presence of mental health experts will help in

diagnosing the disease and enable the patients get medication in good time

Giving support to the patients and their caregivers to help them sustain

themselves will help the caregivers reduce the worry and stress associated with the

illness..Patients should be encouraged to have social contact with people (Livingston

et al., 2020). A majority of old people are widowed or divorced are bound to get

lonely . Socialization helps the victims develop good habits and cheers their moods.

Social support should also extend to the caregivers who are prone to depression and

when they handle their kin (Orgeta et al., 2018). The caregivers need to undergo

therapy to treat psychological trauma and stigma associated with the illness.

Encouraging healthy lifestyles among people in Michigan as lifestyle diseases

and risky behavior increases chances of people developing dementia. Cardiovascular

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illnesses, obesity, drug abuse and sedentary lifestyle are linked to development of

dementia (Livingston et al., 2020). Regular exercise improves physical health and

brain function, slowing the progression of dementia . Patients and caregivers should

refrain from excessive drinking and smoking. The state should minimize children’s

exposure to drugs and substance abuse as they later contribute to the onset of the

disease (Livingston et al., 2020).The public should be educated on the importance of

maintaining healthy weight to reduce the onset of obesity and cardiovascular disease

(Livingston et al., 2020).Members of the public in Michigan should manage their

blood pressure.Improved treatment of cardiovascular illnesses has proven effective in

reducing dementia cases.

Michigan should launch state education programs to make its citizens aware of

dementia. Education reduces the prevalence of dementia as people learn to take better

care of themselves (Hudomiet et al., 2018). Early childhood education on the illness

should be prioritized to help young people reduce their chances of developing the

disease later in their life. Education increases cognitive abilities of people and slows

down development of dementia (Livingston et al., 2020). Education makes people

look for cognitive stimulating activities later in life which improves their overall

mental wellness at old age.Public health programs to minimize head injuries should

be initiated as they aggravate the situation. Furthermore, Employers in Michigan

should increase out of health coverage and employee assistance programs for their

workers to prevent the onset of dementia or treat the existing cases.

In conclusion, dementia has severe economic, social and health implications

on the patient and the caregivers. The disease is more prevalent in old people aged

sixty five and above. Inadequate mental health facilities, personnel and fiancial

constrains have increased the prevalence of the disease in Michigan. Population based
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interventions geared towards addressing dementia in the high risk populations are

fronted to assist the victims get the required care such as early diagnosis and

employment of more psychiatrists in areas without the experts. Patients are

encouraged to embrace healthy lifestyles to minimize other lifestyle-related illness

associated with sedentary lifestyle.

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References

Healthy People 2020. (n.d). Dementias including Alzheimer’s disease.

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/dementias-

including-alzheimers-disease

Hudomiet, P., Hurd, M. D., & Rohwedder, S. (2018). Dementia prevalence in the

United States in 2000 and 2012: Estimates based on a nationally representative

study. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 73(suppl_1), S10-S19.

https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article-abstract/73/suppl_1/

S10/4971571

Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Sommerlad, A., Ames, D., Ballard, C., Banerjee, S., ... &

Mukadam, N. (2020). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020

report of the Lancet Commission. The Lancet, 396(10248), 413-446.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30367-

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inf_contact_key=779905f3c1735bf89533cbb79fb3e8eaf651f238aa2edbb9c8b

7cff03e0b16a0

Mental health in Michigan (2020). Kaiser Family Foundation.

https://www.kff.org/statedata/mental-health-and-substance-use-state-fact-

sheets/michigan/

Orgeta, V., Mukadam, N., Sommerlad, A., & Livingston, G. (2019). The lancet

commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care: a call for

action. Irish journal of psychological medicine, 36(2), 85-88.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-journal-of-psychological-
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medicine/article/lancet-commission-on-dementia-prevention-intervention-and-

care-a-call-for-action/3E7ED3B3B08161D9FC2B75FD8268703D