Social Work with Dementia Patients - 1788 Words

HISTORY OF DEMENTIA: The human brain is extraordinary organ. It stores our memories, vision, hearing, speech, and capable of executing executive higher reasoning and functions setting us apart from animals. Today we know more about the human brain because of medical advances and the development of technology. These brain disorders have been studied for years and many others would classify dementia as a mental illness because it causes cognitive impairments. The following paragraphs will discuss what dementia is, what the types of dementia are, perspectives of patients with dementia as well as the perspective of a caregiver to a dementia patient. The first case of dementia was discovered in 1906 by a German physiatrist Alois Alzheimer. It†¦show more content†¦While blood tests cannot say that a person has Alzheimer but a genetic marker has been found in the human genes that determines a risk factor. Another type of exam used to determine Alzheimer is a urine analysis by specifically looking for high protein or sugar levels. While this is not linked to the detection of Alzheimer it cannot help rule out other diseases that present similarly to Alzheimer. TYPES AND STAGES OF DEMENTIA: The focus of this paper has thus far been only on Alzheimer. Alzheimer has five stages which are, one; preclinical, two; mild, three; mild, four; moderate, five; severe and, six; terminal (Colleen Nerney, 2014). 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 andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis and Description of Dementia Essay1741 Words   |  7 PagesDementia is characterized as a condition where the mental processes of cogniti on and memory start to deteriorate. It is described as a syndrome that hinders the daily lives of those who have it and is characterized by memory and thinking impairment. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s Disease and the second most common is vascular dementia. Dementia is a syndrome occurring usually, but not limited, to people over the age of 40 and is due to brain damage caused by natural deterioratingRead MoreA Brief Note On The Final Stages Of The Disease1314 Words   |  6 Pagesstages of the disease, patients have problems eating, communicating with others, and controlling their bladder or bowels (Newton par. 16). There are a lot of social factors that are affected when a person has dementia. One example would be that the patient may forget simple words and replace them with something more inappropriate (Signs par. 4). Although there is a lot that is affected when a person has dementia, the patient still has some basic mental stability. Dementia pati ents may still hold ontoRead MoreDementia And The Power Of Music Therapy By Steve Matthews1011 Words   |  5 Pages In the article â€Å"Dementia and the Power of Music Therapy† by Steve Matthews, argues that music therapy has positive effects on dementia, in terms of non-pharmacological treatment, inexpensive in health budgets, and neurocognitive benefits for patients. Matthews starts off the article by describing current tendency of dementia in western nation. He mentions that dementia is one of fast increasing disease in United States, Canada, UK, Europe, and Australia. Additionally, Australian government’s investmentRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease And Vascular Dementia1510 Words   |  7 PagesDementia is a disease that is seen to be affecting many of our elderly population nowadays. Dementia patients show progressive symptoms, which become severe with age. Some of the symptoms include memory loss, difficulty performing intellectual activities and overall lose of cognition. There are many causes of dementia so therefore the prevalence rate of it is increasing yearly. Dementia can be caused due to genetic vulnerability such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), lifestyle choices and from other chronicRead MoreIntroduction. This Paper Is A Critical Analysis Of Two1147 Words   |  5 Pageswhose story it is : The challenges of undertaking life story work with people with dementia and their families. Dementia, (Qualitative) and Milne, A., Guss, R., and Russ, A., 2014, Psycho-educational support for relatives of people with a recent diagnosis of mild to moderate dementia: An evaluation of a ‘Course for Carers . Dementia. (Quantitative) These papers have been selected as they embrace contrasting research strategies on Dementia- qualitative and quantitative. The main aim of this analysisRead MoreThe National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke Defines Dementia1563 Words   |  7 PagesStroke defines dementia as:â€Å" word for a group of symptoms caused by disorders that affect the brain. It is not a specific disease. People with dementia may not be able to think well enough to do normal activities, such as getting dressed or eating. They may lose their ability to solve problems or control their emotions. Their personalities may change. They may become agitated or see things that are not there. (Health, 2014).This essay is going to discuss and explore what dementia is and the fourRead MoreMental Health Case Study1261 Words   |  6 Pagesa Mental Health professional in a trial of 580 patients. This test was performed within 48 hours of the original PHQ-9. The Cronbach’s Aplha was 0.84 for the test-retest. The means score for the clinic samples was 5.08 and 5.03 for the telephone interviews. The reliability appears to be great for this instrument and has similar results in different settings. Validity The validity of the PHQ-9 instrument appeared to be great. Out of the 41 patients that were diagnosed to have major depression theirRead MoreDisengagement Theory And Alzheimer s Disease901 Words   |  4 Pageswhich states that a person should remain active and social. There is the Continuation Theory and states that people who age successfully continue habits that lead to a happy life. Then there is the disengagement theory and this theory will be the focus of the paper. Disengagement theory is the idea that as people age it is expected for them to withdraw from society and take a more limited social role in life. I believe that this theory ties into dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease because it is expectedRead MoreThe Effects Of Occupational Therapy On Enhancing Quality Of Life1523 Words   |  7 PagesThe Effects of Occupational Therapy in Enhancing Quality of Life for Individuals With Dementia Dementia is a chronic syndrome that involves a progressive deterioration of brain function and leaves a person to suffer from not only a cognitive decline but physical, emotional, and behavioral changes as well. There are over ten different types of dementia and each cause significant changes in the make up of the brain and the brain function. Those changes include deposits of protein that form plaquesRead MoreDrug Therapy And Its Effects On The Health Of Individuals Essay1587 Words   |  7 Pagessomething for the effects of drugs. However, drug therapy is not the only effective type of therapy and does not work for every disease. Cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia have been effecting more and more people over time and there is still no cure or promising treatment. Therefore, we must look at different options when considering the well beings of these suffering patients. We must look beyond the medical research labs and start looking back at the self and the effectiveness of other therapies