1. Introduction Dementia is a collection of symptoms caused by disorders affecting the brain which impact on a person’s functioning, ranging from thinking to behaviour and the ability to perform ordinary tasks and there are different type of dementia with the most common types being Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and Parkinson’s disease (Keast, 2015). In 2009, nearly two-thirds (62%) of people identified as having dementia or Alzheimer 's disease were living in a health establishment such as a nursing home, an aged care hostel, or the cared component of a retirement village (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). People with dementia experience problems with communicative, cognitive and emotional tasks. 2. Immediate issues of …show more content…
Her cognitive decline has an effect on her quality of life and function due to problems of memory, planning, language and attention. There is a risk of malnutrition as Wander is unable to feed herself and is reported to be refusing her meals hence, needing to be fed. The presence of verbal and physical aggression towards care staff is a challenging concern that needs immediate intervention for her safety and that of care staff. The patient has insomnia and this could be contributing to her aggression. She is reported to be calling out in both Polish and English and this indicates that she is having communication problems and this could be a barrier causing her to be frustrated as he cannot communicate her needs effectively. Wanda has a history of arthritis and pain is another issue for her that may be causing aggression. According to Ahn & Horgas, (2014) pain in dementia is positively correlated with disruptive behaviours i.e. aggression and agitation. 3. Stages of Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s is an irreversible disease normally affecting the elderly population and is progressive in nature causing degeneration that leads to impairments in memory, reasoning, planning, and behaviour. It is a neurodegenerative disorder that adversely affects neurons in the brain, ultimately resulting in loss of memory and language, behavioural disturbances, and dependence on caregivers (Phillips, Baktir, Das, Lin & Salehi, 2015, p. 1047). Alzheimer’s has 3
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 does not only impact the people with symptoms and it also disturbs the people who must care for the person. It is estimated that 1.2 million people are involved in the care of people with dementia. It has a financial burden on the Australian economy $4.9 billion in 2009-10. (1)
Dementia refers to a syndrome which results in deterioration in thinking, memory, behavior, and ability to execute everyday activities and duties. Despite the fact that the syndrome is mainly associated with the older people, it is not a normal aspect or part of ageing. One of the major causes of dementia is the aspect of Alzheimer's disease. This disease contributes to about 60 to 70 percent of the cases of dementia. Dementia possesses psychological, physical, economic, and social impacts in relation to the family, caregivers, and the entire society. Dementia affects each individual in a diverse or different way with reference to the impact of the disease and personality following the development of the syndrome (Gao et al, 2013 p. 447).
An estimated 47.5 million people suffer from dementia. Every 4 seconds one new case of dementia is diagnosed. Dementia is a term that describes certain symptoms such as impairment to memory, communication and thinking. It is a group of symptoms and not just one illness. Even though one‘s chance of getting dementia increase with age, it is not a part of aging. Dementia is usually diagnosed after a series of assessments that includes a physical evaluation, memory tests, imaging studies and blood work. It affects three aspects of one’s mental function, cognitive dysfunction (Problems with memory, language, thinking and problem solving), psychiatric behavior (changes in personality, emotional control, social behavior and delusions) and difficulties with daily living activities (driving, shopping, eating and dressing). “The median survival time in women is 4.6 years and in men 4.1 years” (Warren, 2016).
It takes many years for dementia to develop before it is diagnosed, and for the cognitive abilities of the diseased person to deteriorate to a level where they are unable to continue their normal social and professional activities. According to a recent study (Prince et al., 2013), it is estimated that about 35. 6 million people suffered from dementia worldwide in 2010 and these numbers will double every twenty years. Australia is among a list of countries which are boldly facing this disease, which afflicts the intellect of its countrymen. In 2011, 298,000 Australians suffered from dementia, 62% of which were women (AIHW, 2012)
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal form of dementia, frequently seen in the elderly altering their cognition, thought process and behavior. AD is reported in about half of patients that have a dementia diagnosis; one study states that about 10.3% of the population over 65 years is affected by dementia with an increase to almost 50% over the age of 85. (Beattie, 2002) Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of the aging process in humans, but rather found in a group of diseases that affect the brain leading to a decline in mental and physical control. AD when diagnosed has a very slow and gradual course, initially affecting the individual’s short term memory. (Beattie, 2002)
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a severe, incurable form of dementia that causes impairment and cognitive deficits such as language, speech, memory and basic motor skills (Buckley, 2011). Currently in the United States, there are 5.2 million individuals living with AD (Alzheimer’s Association, 2013). AD is a deterioration of one’s cognitive functions that prevents the ability for daily function and unfortunately has no known cure or preventative methods (Buckley, 2011).The main deficit that AD has on the brain is the deterioration of different areas of the brain. Not only does a physical toll contribute to patients with AD, but there is also a social stigma that impedes on the normal daily function of life. In this literature review, I will
The world population is aging and as this occurs, the prevalence of dementia will increase significantly (World Health Organization, 2012). Dementia is an illness in which a person’s memory and thinking decline, behavior changes increase, and the ability to perform everyday activities decline. Dementia mainly affects older people with 7.7 million new cases arising every year worldwide (World Health Organization, 2012). Currently, there are approximately 47.5 million people in the world with dementia and this is set to increase with the national ageing trends. According to World Health Organization (WHO) (2012), one of the most common types of dementia is Alzheimer 's disease which accounts for 60-70% of dementia cases. Increased disability and dependency is one of the major outcomes of dementia; it greatly impacts carers, families, and society physically, psychologically, socially, and economically. (World Health Organization, 2012).
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is a type of dementia that no one would ever want their grandmother or grandfather to suffer from, as it destroys memory and other important mental functions of its sufferer. Alzheimer's disease is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. While the age 65 and older is its target age, it has consumed the lives of over 1.9 million people. The brain begins to show signs of damage in the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential in forming memories. As more neurons die, parts of the brain then begin to shrink. By the final stage of Alzheimer’s, damage is widespread, and brain tissue has shrunk significantly. The idea that Alzheimer’s disease is related to age in 1974 was introduced
As such, Alzheimer’s disease accounts for being one of the major contributing factors in dementia. In fact, Alzheimer’s disease accounts for around forty to seventy percent of dementia symptom diagnoses (16). With each year, the number of individuals being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease continues to rise. This number is only expected to keep escalating, with a prediction that one in eighty-five people will suffer from the disease by the year 2050
Alzheimer’s disease or also known as Alzheimer’s is the neurodegenerative most common type of dementia that usually commences in older people; this is a very complex brain disorder that interferes with the affected individual’s life as soon as it initiates its mission of destroying the brain, it progresses slowly and gets worse over time from mild forgetfulness to brain impairment. Furthermore, scientist do not fully understand what causes this irreversible disease that has no cure or prevention and it may be inherited. Alzheimer’s disease seems to be caused by unusual plaques (beta-amyloid) and tangles in the brain, damaging important areas of memory and learning (Hanyu et al., 2010), together with, dementia is defined as a loss of mental
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive and neurodegenerative form of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, reasoning, judgement and decision-making, recognizing, as well as behavior, and is serious enough to interfere with daily life and activities, that eventually leads to profound physical as well as mental disabilities, resulting in the need for institutional care (Hoyer & Roodin, 2009). AD is most widespread in senior population aged 65 and over, which constitutes approximately 85-95% of the cases, in the rest of 5-15% of the times Alzheimer’s Disease can have an early-onset (before 60 years of age) (Hoyer & Roodin, 2009). According to Alzheimer’s Association, today Alzheimer’s Disease is at the forefront of biomedical research, as it is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States (alz.org). Researchers hope that better understanding of Alzheimer’s and related dementias can lead to discovering new and effective treatments. United States is not the only country that is facing this issue, this problem is global. According to the recent epidemiological studies, the worldwide prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease will rise from 27 million people worldwide in 2006 to 66 million in 2030, and 115 million in 2050 (Werner, 2012). The main risk factor for developing AD is chronological age (Hoyer & Roodin, 2009). This means that by 2050, one in three persons over 80 years of age will most likely suffer from some sort of dementia, most likely from AD
As we age, our bodies begin to deteriorate. The bones become brittle, the muscles and tendons atrophy, hair falls out, and our mental faculties begin to diminish. It can be difficult when it comes to aging but at times it is a beautiful, natural process of life. With age comes many difficulties and changes. One of them is a very serious and debilitating change that can impact one who is affected as well as those who may be caring for them and their families. This change is that of the disease Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. This disease affects more than 5 million Americans and continues to increase. With this disease on the increase, it begs the question if there is a way to prevent this debilitating disease or at least some kind of early diagnosis. Though there is no concrete way to determine the etiology of Alzheimer’s unless through autopsy of the human brain, there are ways to aid in the early diagnosis of this disease amongst the aging population for better and improved prognosis.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive degenerative brain disease characterized by progressive memory loss, cognitive impairment, and changes in behaviors and personality which has no cure. It is the most common cause of dementia in older adults and is increasing in prevalence in the younger population (Gosar & Bottomley, 2013). Research has shown that there are more than 5 million people in the United States and over 35 million people in the world who suffer from the disease. The number of Alzheimer’s patients increases steadily as the baby boomers age. Researches predicted that the population with Alzheimer’s disease will be doubled by 2030 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015; Alzheimer’s Disease International, 2013; Black et al., 2010; Mohamed,
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease and the most common cause of dementia. Dementia is also caused by other diseases and conditions. It is characterized by a decline in memory, language, problem-solving and other cognitive skills that affects a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. This decline occurs because nerve cells (neurons) in parts of the brain involved in cognitive function have been damaged and no longer function normally. In Alzheimer’s disease, neuronal damage eventually affects parts of the brain that enable a person to carry out basic bodily functions such as walking and swallowing. People in the final stages of the disease are bed-bound and require around-the-clock care. Alzheimer’s disease is