Protection of Vulnerable People: Older Adults With Dementia

Dementia is a term used to describe the symptoms of a number of illnesses which effect the function of the brain. It is an umbrella term describing the progressive decline in a person’s cognitive ability. The type and severity of symptoms varies with each type of dementia and is usually has a gradual onset, is progressive and irreversible. (1)

The term ‘dementia’ describes a set of symptoms which can include loss of memory, mood changes and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when the brain is damaged by certain conditions and diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. 
Age is the greatest risk factor for dementia. Dementia affects one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in six over the age of 80. However, dementia is not restricted to older people: in the UK, there are over 17,000 people under the age of 65 with dementia, although this figure is likely to be an underestimate.

Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their

In this assignment, I researched about the health problem, dementia. Dementia is one of the serious health problems Australia encounters. This is due to the fact that the aging of population in Australia is increasing. Thus, the number of people who are diagnosed as dementia is increasing every year. Brown & Edwards (2005) suggested that there are approximately 18,000 new cases of dementia in Australia every year. Harris, Nagy and Vardaxis (2006) stated ¡®dementia is a progressive organic mental disorder characterised by chronic personality disintegration, confusion, disorientation, stupor, deterioration of intellectual capacity and function, and impairment of control of memory£¬ judgement and impulses.¡¯ (p.501) Brown& Edwards (2005)

Dementia is the biggest health and social care challenge of this century. Over a million people will be living with the condition by 2021. Dementia can crush lives. For a person diagnosed with the condition, as well as their family and friends, dementia can mean an irrefutable life

This disease is broken down into three stages the first being preclinical Alzheimer's disease, then mild cognitive impairment and lastly, dementia. During the first stage, changes in the brain start to occur and symptoms such as confusion begin. In the second stage, an individual is likely to still perform daily tasks on their own although symptoms of the disease are becoming more noticeable. During the last stage, which is dementia, an individual is typically dependent on a caretaker at this point.

1.1 Dementia is the progressive decline in the cognitive function, involving all aspects of perception, thinking, reasoning and remembering. This is largely to do with damage or disease. This is progressive and leads to the deterioration of the mind, affecting an individual’s ability to concentrate on daily tasks. The memory is often affected, causing them to forget people, dates and events that are recent to them, behaviour can be erratic and noticeably different than is usual for them, and the ability to control feelings is also affected. As the disease progresses as do the signs and symptoms.

Dementia is a term used to describe persistent disorder of the brain, caused by a disease or injury making memory loss, personality change and impaired thinking. An early diagnosis can help these people to get the right treatment and support, and also help family members to prepare and plan for future support plan and treatment (NH Choices, 2013).

Dementia is a disease that does not discriminate against gender, race, or nationality. It affects individuals, their families, and caregivers each day by testing their strength and patience. Within the category of dementia there is a subtype called Multi-Infarct Dementia. MID is a disease that affects around 30% of individuals over the age of sixty-five (Al-Adawi, 2014). The individuals with MID have damage to their brain which causes many different symptoms to occur. When the symptoms are noticed, the specific type of dementia may be hard to diagnose, and the treatments cannot reverse brain damage. As MID progresses, the individual’s cognitive functions deteriorate, so the care and patience these individuals once shared with others will have

Angela Thomas MD, Neurologist Sacred Heart Hospital, Pensacola ,Florida .The first stage no impairment ,it's not obvious they can function on their own for a very long time . Stage two Dementia, very mild Dementia signs are barely noticeable some forgetfulness but as always associate it with age the patient my miss place things, and then in the same second remember where they put them. Stage three mild Dementia, the patient is usually able to do his or her basic daily activities such as cooking, cleaning, taking a bath and getting themselves dressed. Stage four moderate , the patient is having trouble doing daily routines as stated above .They now have trouble holding their urine ,increased memory loss and forgetfulness difficulty doing challenges such as making out monthly bills ,grocery shopping and they are becoming very anti-social .Stage five moderately severe Dementia ,this is the stage where the dementia patient will need assistance with their everyday activities ,memory loss has increased ,they can number longer remember their address, phone number date of birth basically anything personal .Very confused about their where about' s and surroundings .Stage six severe stage of Dementia , at this stage the dementia patient can no longer get themselves dressed ,they need assistances in the bathroom . The Dementia patient at this stage begins to wander off from home if not supervised, the patient can no

Dementia is a progressive brain dysfunction. In Latin, 'dementia ' means irrationality, which results in a restriction of daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease was first identified more than 100 years ago, but research into its symptoms, causes, risk factors and treatment has only progressed in the last several years. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 1906, German physician Alois Alzheimer was “one of the first to link

I will begin by explaining the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer 's disease. Dementia is not a disease, it is a term used to describe Neurological conditions that involves some form of serious mental disorder such as memory loss, confusion, and impaired judgment. Alzheimer 's is an actual disease, which is a form of Dementia and the most common type of Dementia; it is accountable for 60% - 80% of all cases of Dementia. Dementia has been around for many years dating back to the 1900 's. Dementia refers to a group of symptoms that can be caused by many different brain disorders. It is characterized as an impaired functioning that can affects a person’s daily life. Dementia can include memory loss, language difficulty, impaired

The preclinical stage as discussed from out class notes can be diagnosed in the earlier years of al adult and a patient can stay in this stage any where from 10-30 years. During this stage atrophy starts and the brain starts loosing its mass. During this period Alzheimer is often not noticed. It is during the mild stage of Alzheimer that a patient gets a diagnose and they can stay in this stage from 5-10 years in which then experience a decline in memory loss, they engage in repetitive statements. They are no longer able to complete tasks, they get lost, and are easily confused. During this stage family members can notice a change in their personality and moods that cause a disruption. During the moderate state an increase in memory loss can be observed, a shorter attention span is present, they are extremely confused and

Dementia amongst the aging population is a major health concern today. Currently, over 37 million people around the world suffer from dementia [1]. This number is only going to increase as life expectancy increases and the baby-boomer generation ages. Dementia is commonly associated with aging and comes with effects of cognitive decline, personality changes, failure to perform daily activities, and many more [7].

Dementia is a progressive diagnosis that takes place over months or years. Dementia occurs in stops compared to other psychological diagnoses in the elderly and age is a major risk factor. The older the adult the increased risk of dementia occurring. There are different forms of dementia, but Alzheimers is the most prevalent of all the types. Dementia, as stated above, is associated with delirium during an acute illness and is hard to identify in patients with underlying dementia. Dementia causes a decline in executive fncitoning and memory, as a result, decreasing the patient's overall quality of life because their activities of daily living become more and more limited. Behaviors and changes in mood are also noted in these patients, such as;