Dealing With Dementia: When Thinking And Behavior Decline

(News In Health)
2021
 Background
Factors characterizing dementia:
Confusion and forgetfulness
Trouble remembering
Expected projections for patients with dementia 2 billion by
2050
Incidence;
Aging population
Nurses have significant role in delivering healthcare for dementia
patients
 Knowledge of Dementia
Understanding dementia;
Brain disorder associated with a group of symptoms
Diseases associated with dementia include:-
 Alzheimer’s disease
 Lewy body disease
 Frontotemporal
 Vascular disease
 Parkinson’s disease
 Causes of Dementia
Dementia can result from the following:
Severe head injury
Frontotemporal diseases
Alzheimer’s disease-major cause
Vascular disease
Parkinson’s disease
Stroke
 Risk factors of Dementia
The risk factors include:
 Smoking
 Uncontrolled diabetes
 High blood pressure
 Drinking too much alcohol
 Close family history with dementia
 Sedentary lifestyle
 Aging
 Signs and Symptoms of Dementia
Psychological symptoms:-
Memory loss
Aggression
Apathy
Agitation
Delusions
Psychosis
Behavioral symptoms:-
Impaired language and thinking
Repetitive behavior
 Effects of Dementia
The disease affects the brain;
Causes loss of balance
Cost burden associated with hospitalization
Reduced safety to self and other people
Stigma and discrimination
Inappropriate behaviors;
 Poor relationships in social setting
 Management and Prevention of Dementia
Management depends on severity
Recommended interventions;
Mediterranean and DASH diets
Contain antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties
The properties reduce severity of dementia
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Effective in managing Alzheimer’s disease
Prevention involves controlling modifiable risk factors;
Adopting healthy lifestyles and behaviors;
Smoking cessation, eating healthy diets & physical exercises.
Preventing head injuries and avoiding excessive
 Inclusion and Communication Strategies
Effective communication strategies for nurses to patients:-
Setting conducive environments for patients
Positive mood for interaction
Getting patients’ attention
Becoming attentive to patients
Responding to patients with affection and assurance
Maintaining sense of humor (FCA, 2021)
 Relevance to Nursing Practice
Reasons why this presentation is relevance to nursing practice:-
 Guides nurses on understanding and respecting patients.
 informs nurses on communicating effectively with patients
 It will assist nurses in the right administering of medication to patients
 Guides nurses on collaboration approaches
 Informs nurses on;
 The need for patient education
 Assessing Dementia
• Nurses roles:-
• Conducting assessment using DSM-5
• Scaling domains:-
• The quality of life
• Depression
• Cognitive tests
• Behavior
• Disease’s severity
 Health Promotion for Dementia
• The promotion strategies include;
• Enhancing patient safety
• Securing dangerous tools away from them
• Ensuring comfortability in their rooms;
• Limiting the amount of light
• Eliminating obstacles
• Behavior monitoring and targeted education
 References
•Duong, S., Patel, T., & Chang, F. (2017). Dementia. Canadian Pharmacists Journal / Revue Des
Pharmaciens Du Canada, 150(2), 118-129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1715163517690745

•Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) (2021). Caregiver’s Guide to Understanding Dementia

Behaviors.
https://www.caregiver.org/resource/caregivers-guide-understanding-dementia-behaviors/.
•New In Health (NIH). (2021). Dealing With Dementia: When Thinking and Behavior Decline.
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/special-issues/seniors/dealing-dementia.
Peters, R., Booth, A., Rockwood, K., Peters, J., D'Este, C., & Anstey, K. (2019). Combining
modifiable risk factors and risk of dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open,
9(1), e022846. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022846
 References
•Selbæk, G. (2021). Dementia risk: time matters. The Lancet Public Health, 6(2), e85-e86.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s2468-2667(21)00010-4

• World Health Organization (WHO) (2017). 10 facts on dementia.

•Wang, M., Xu, X., Huang, Y., Shao, S., Chen, X., Li, J., & Du, J. (2020). Knowledge, attitudes and skills of
dementia care in general practice: a cross-sectional study in primary health settings in Beijing, China. BMC
Family Practice, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-020-01164-3

• Zhang, X., Tian, Y., Wang, Z., Ma, Y., Tan, L., & Yu, J. (2021). The epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease
modifiable risk factors and prevention. The Journal Of Prevention Of Alzheimer's Disease, 1-9.
https://doi.org/10.14283/jpad.2021.15

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