Resolving Work Conflict
Dementia often forces family members to admit their loved ones into long-term care facilities. Unfortunately, a variety of issues commonly arises after admission. For instance, family members, especially those who have previously taken care of the resident, are sometimes reluctant to allow changes in the residents routine, medication regimen, diet, etc. This can create conflict because sometimes changes are necessary in order to create a plan of care capable of enhancing the resident’s quality of life.
Furthermore, health outcomes are individualized. Therefore, what constitutes an optimal plan of care is highly subjective. As a result, the cultural norms of family members and nurses inevitably play a significant
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Specifically, they affect how medical professionals approach treatment options and interact with family members. For example, Western healthcare practitioners tend to rely heavily on the use of medications to control patients’ symptoms and improve their quality of life (Alzheimer's Society, n.d.). Further, they are usually not familiar with complementary and alternative dementia therapies.
The Alzheimer’s Society (n.d.) suggests there are alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, massage, bright light therapy, and herbal medications that can be used to treat dementia patients. Unfortunately, they are not commonly used throughout the U.S. In turn, the nurses and physician at WM have overlooked the possibility of considering these complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy
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The nursing team at WM views the resident, family members, physician, nurses, and nursing assistants vital members of the care planning team. Consequently, nurses are empowering Ben to participate in his mother’s care. Even though this is currently creating conflict, ultimately, it should enhance the quality of care the resident receives.
Likewise, cultural norms have influenced Ben’s perceptions and belief about how health services should be provided and what constitutes quality care. He has stated, “Every time someone is admitted to a nursing home, they change the patient’s medicines to conform to the doctors preferences”. Additionally, Ben has reported he believes people should not be treated with many medications. Further, over 40% of adults in the U.S. use some form of CAM therapy developed outside of mainstream Western medicine (Ventola, 2010). In turn, it is certainly possible Ben favors alternative medicine over conventional medicine.
Impact on
• Every individual, including individuals with dementia, has their unique life history, lifestyle, culture and preferences, including their likes, dislikes, hobbies and interests, which makes an individualised approach in care necessary.
One of the hardest moments for not only the person with dementia, their caretaker, and their family, is deciding the appropriate time to relocate to an assisted living facility or a skilled nursing home. Like the variety of the disease symptoms and durations, the question of when to accept outside help also has different answers depending on the situation and the caregiver’s abilities and resources (Smith, J., 2016). Many caretakers may view the idea of placing their loved one in a home as a sense of failure on their part; however, it does not have to be this way. With the increasing demand for assisted living facilities and nursing homes, improvements in the standards of care for dementia patients as well as a shift towards more “patient-centered
All of the patients on my unit in my former position were in the beginning and mid stages of Alzheimer’s with one or two very alert ones. The challenge was keeping the more alert residents from rapid mental decline. The key in maintaining the resident’s dignity is providing an environment where they can participate in their level of care,
When living at home with dementia the individual will have professional help come to them to help with daily tasks such as supervising medication intake, enabling optimum health and safety at home, providing a patient listening ear and friendly face, cooking, housekeeping and general errands, helping to facilitate routine, familiarly and comfort for their loved one at a difficult time. When someone moves from their home into a care home it can be very
Comparing the three interviews, it is apparent that all three cultures could require a different healthcare approach. It is interesting to see the family dynamics, and pasts all play a role in their healthcare decision-making and thoughts. Being aware that each family dynamic is unique it is important to avoid stereotypes, and get
Aim: This study was planned to find out the strategies in managing persons with dementia in residential institutional care.
Nearly 135 million people worldwide will be impacted by dementia by 2050 (Robinson, Tang, Taylor,. 2015). Dementia is not a disease, it is an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with the decline in memory and thinking skills. Dementia is a progressive illness that results in the loss of one’s sense of self (Burns, Byrne, Ballard, Holmes, 2002). The two most common forms of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular dementia. Dementia is progressive and people with dementia experience complications with short-term memory, keeping track of personal items, paying bills, taking care of themselves and daily tasks (Haigh, Mytton, 2016). Due to the rising number of individuals developing dementia, it is causing major challenges in the healthcare systems and society (Angermeter, Luck, Then, Riedel-Heller, 2016). Utilizing psychotropic medications are often ineffective or harmful to the individual, therefore, many patients decide to utilize sensory therapy as a form of treatment instead (Livingston, Kelly olmes, et al., 2014). Caregivers of individuals with dementia can also experience health consequences related to caregiving at the end of life. Spousal caregivers are 40.5% higher odds of experiencing frailty as a result of caregiving (Carr, Dassel, 2017). Dementia does not only affect the individual, it affects those around them, society, and the healthcare system.
Focusing on dementia, it is not constantly possible to involve the dementia sufferers in the decision making course of their care without encouragement and assistance by
The goals the National Social Advocacy Association for Alzheimer’s Patients is to collaborate with long term healthcare facilities in establishing an innovative, comprehensive social advocacy, intervention, and advance treatment programs in healthcare facilities serving or providing Alzheimer’s patients. One that will help stimulate the “Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous Systems sensory” nerves which will increase the cognitive and mobility functions in Alzheimer’s Patients Marieb, (2006). In addtiont to reducing caregiver’s burnouts, eliminate Alzheimer’s patients injuries due to neglect, increase caregiver’s social awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and its risks facts,
Declining health and depression are two of the largest reasons families look into assisted living homes for aging loved ones. Making sure that the healthcare needs of the elderly are met becomes a priority for every family as the roles begin to reverse from the parent being the primary caregiver of their children to the children being responsible for meeting the needs of aging parents. Diseases such Alzheimer’s and dementia are very difficult for not only the
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
During my first clinical rotation as a nursing student, I was assigned to care for several older adults suffering from dementia. Although all of my patients ranged in severity from mild to severe progression of dementia, they all experienced moments of agitation, anxiety, or disturbed behaviors related to their disease. It occurred to me after careful review of several patient charts that despite often being prescribed pharmaceutical regimes for other comorbidities, these patients were rarely prescribed medications, besides those to control anxiety, specifically targeted at treating their progressing dementia. Through some research I discovered that the significant number of individuals affected with dementia is a growing public health concern in part due to the current limited ability of pharmaceutical treatments to treat the disease (Samson, Clement, Narme, Schiaratura, & Ehrle, 2015). This revelation began my interest in current nonpharmacological treatments being implemented in controlling adverse behaviors and feelings in patients diagnosed with dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 out of every 8 people in the United States. It is a long and debilitating disease that affects every aspect of a person’s life from the way they preform daily tasks, to the physical and mental abilities that are diminishing. Along with the lifestyle changes that Alzheimer’s disease presents, it also affects one’s psychological perspective as well their view on what they can offer their family and society. There are some ways to maintain a level of independence with a disease of this magnitude but there are also factors in lifestyle choices that can make it worse. Alzheimer cannot be cured, it cannot be slowed, but there are ways to keep the effected person at a certain level of comfort, independence and safety
Providers of nursing care have a huge responsibility to patients. Providers of care are required to provide a patient-centered type of care. Research and evidence-based practice indicate that patients recover faster when they receive respect, value, personalized care, and support. Consequently, the evidence-based practice provides a number of aspects. First, care providers are expected to show unwavering respect and genuine care to all patients irrespective of their background, which leads to improved quality of care (Marquis & Huston, 2015). Secondly, caregivers are expected to listen and openly share information with patients and their relatives, especially when making a critical decision that involves surgical procedures (Marquis & Huston,
The older adult population in the United States has steadily increased thanks to technology and medical advances. While this definitely is an undeniable achievement, it also creates some challenges that society was not as prevalent to face before. Now that people are living longer it’s also means that often times family members are becoming caregivers to their loved ones during their so called golden years. Not only may it be difficult to care for a loved one, but it also becomes even more burdensome when their loved has a disability. In fact “dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide.” (2016). Fortunately there are adult day centers that serve people with dementia and provide services that can benefit them. However many times caregivers are forgotten about and aren’t provided services that can also benefit them as well. While it does take a bit of pressure off of the caregivers while their loved ones are at the day center, it does not eliminate all the other effects. Many people may not be aware that there are detrimental effects that a caregiver may experience as a result of caring for someone with dementia.