Health And Social Care Level 3 Unit 7 P3

All forms of dementia can affect the way a person communicates, so in time they may have to find different ways of expressing themselves and their feelings. As a carer your non-verbal communication will become important, your body language, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and tone of voice will have to be taken into account when you are communicating with a sufferer. In the early stages of some forms of dementia people may have difficulty finding the right word they are looking for, and in the later stages of some forms of dementia the words could be lost completely. As the dementia progresses, it gets a lot

Communicating with the elderly who have dementia requires patience and not only the ability to recognize when a patient is becoming upset, but the ability to soothe the patient and prevent any further distress. Patients with dementia have a hard time carrying on a conversation due to a loss of memory, which in turn limits their vocabulary as well as their thinking process. It is important for a nurse to understand this and not push the patient. Speaking slowly and clearly, as well as using simple sentences, can help aid the process of communication. Non-verbal cues are also a great way to communicate with someone who cannot always understand what is being said to them.

McGinley offers many ideas to assist with educating patients how to achieve the best nutrition for dementia patients. The patient could be taken care of completely by a family member or caregiver being feed all meals, all day long every day. There are some flaws with that idea like caregiver burn rate and being able to give the patient choices on feeding themselves (McGinley, 2015). Another idea the article suggests is make the meals for the patient and leaving them in the fridge so that no harm comes to the patient and the patient can have a range of choices (McGinley, 2015). Sometimes it may be important to give the patient snacks especially if the patient does not have a long attention span. The snacks should be able to transport easily

An individual experiences drastic decrease in appetite in the advance stages of dementia. Furthermore, their activity level decreases as well; therefore, they do not require large quantity of calorie intake (Byrd, 2004). However, they require good nutrition to maintain their life. It is unfortunate that in advance stages of dementia, it becomes very challenging for health care providers (HCPs) to maintain adequate intake for elderly population. As the disease progresses, swallowing impairments cause frequent aspiration pneumonia. What really matters is that HCPs take all other measures to maintain nutrition and hydration before jumping to the conclusion that the person needs ANH. Of course, the speech language pathologist gets involved throughout the procedure (Byrd, 2004). It is important to note that AHN is considered a medical intervention in the field of medicine. However, society as a whole does not believe that ANH is a medical intervention (Byrd, 2004). Therefore, some people believe that not providing ANH is comparable to neglect and inhuman regardless of the nature of disease process. On the other hand, “others see withholding AHN as a more humane or compassionate choice because the focus of care is placed on the person, not merely [food] intake or body weight” (Byrd, 2004). A study mentioned in Byrd (2004) highlights that the families of these patients prefers “noninvasive nutritional interventions

I recall them having troubles remembering our names and our relation with them – they called me “mom” several times. Meeting them was always a bittersweet experience; we all loved seeing them and speding time with them but at the same time having to explain who we are every time and seeing the condition they were in was displeasing. Li-Chan Lin, Roger Watson and Shiao-Chi Wu mentioned in the article “What is associated with low food intake in older people with dementia?” that dementia patients usually have great difficulty in meeting common self-care needs, which can include maintaining a sufficient intake of fluids and food. Generally, people with dementia suffer from lack of appetite, loss of the ability to recognize food, confusion about they need to eat and how much they should. Those events result in a decrease of food intake or failure to eat at all which is followed by weight change (Li-Chan Lin, Roger Watson and Shiao-Chi Wu). In the same research 142 out of the 477 subjects (30.7%) had frequent problems with low food intake, additionally 293 subjects (61.4%) had difficulties with eating. The percentages are pretty high which concludes that people with dementia lose weight quickly as they are not able to feed themselves. Not being able to receive the appropriate nutrients will make the body weak and this most of the times can result into health problems, this is a strong example of how people weaken through the

When working with hospice patients diagnosed with Dementia, the focus in medicine shifts from curative to that of providing comfort care and symptom control. The end stage Dementia patient typically presents unable to communicate meaningfully, incontinent, unable to ambulate or sit without assistance and exhibits swallowing concerns. The feeding and swallowing issues that arise with the progression of this disease can be challenging for family members, as many loved ones exhibit a need to feed. Providing the caregiver and family education related to not only the death and dying process but also the side effects related to interventions such as artificial nutrition is a vital part of the end of life process.

There are numerous symptoms of dementia that can vary from senior to senior. Dementia care could be necessary if you notice your loved one starts to develop two or more of these warning signs:

One of the most difficult challenges for those caring for individuals with PWS is hyperphagia—abnormally increased appetite and lack of satiety—and the subsequent obesity. Obesity-related complications of PWS, such a respiratory failure, diabetes mellitus, and congestive heart failure, have been recognized as the main causes of morbidity and mortality in individuals with PWS. Untreated obesity limits the life expectancy from 20 to 30 years old. The diminished chance of an individual with PWS to survive into adult life makes the treatment of eating behavior and the subsequent obesity mandatory. The causes of hyperphagia and lack of satiety are unknown, limiting the number conclusive treatment options available. Since the etiology of hyperphagia is unknown, current research lacks a specific direction. Possible interventions range from medical interventions to behavioral management procedures. A review of the literature on techniques for controlling eating,

When someone has Alzheimer’s their personality and other things about them can make many different alterations. They can have problems with communication, including speaking and understanding what someone is saying to them. Some might not be able to focus throughout an extensive discussion or may lose their train of thought. A person with Alzheimer’s may also experience different behavioral changes. They may become more aggressive, become angered easily, wander, or have delusions thinking a caregiver is trying to hurt them. When someone has Alzheimer’s they can also forget or have trouble doing everyday things such as using eating utensils, chewing, walking, sitting, and many other things most people do without thinking.

Jansen et al. (2015, p.44) mentioned the expertise of dietitians in strategising the management of feeding problems among dementia patients to aid in stabilising their nutrition status.

Boredom can cause you to eat more or drink more water. Even in a survival situation you will look forward to meal times. You have to establish routines like certain times to eat to prevent boredom. Eating all of your food at one time because you need entertainment is not developing a sense of normalcy

Health and emotional conditions such as depression can lead to a loss of appetite as well as a lack of interest in food and drinks. Being depressed can make them want to be on their own, becoming socially isolated can affect their nutritional needs as they won’t feel like eating. A person with dementia may use up extra calories due to increased activity such as if they are agitated, restless, through wandering and pacing making their nutritional needs change. Forgetting to eat or not remembering if they have eaten will change their nutritional needs, be it increasing/decreasing their intake, lastly paranoia can make them suspicious of food.

Poor appetite occurs especially in infants and children with iron deficiency anemia . If you have any of these symptoms immediately make an appointment and consult with your doctor , anemia isn't a self treatable disease nor is it something you should ignore

Is the lack of a fully nutritious diet, Anorexia Nervosa is also a medical condition

This may be due to painful sores in the mouth, pharynx, and/or esophagus. Fatigue, depression, changes in mental state, and other psychosocial factors may also play a role by affecting appetite and interest in food. Economic factors affect food availability and the nutritional quality of the diet. Side