Dementia Critical Evaluation

A Critical Evaluation of Current Practices, Interventions and Treatments In Relation to Dementia

Introduction

‘Dementia’ in its broad sense, is defined as a set of symptoms including mood changes, memory loss, and problems with communicating and reasoning. These symptoms are likely to occur as a result of brain damage by diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or a series of strokes. Dementia is a progressive disease, meaning that the symptoms would get worse as time progresses (Alzheimer’s Society, 2012). In other words, the term Dementia is used to describe symptoms of a wide range of illnesses, which cause a gradual, progressive decline in the cognition of a person, and his ability to function. The changes that occur affect the social,…show more content…
Prior to this period, treatment for people with cognitive dysfunction was done at institutions called asylums, where treatments included purges, cold baths and bloodletting (Porter, 1997). Subsequently, in the 1960s, knowledge about dementia began to increase, and task-focused non-pharmacological treatments came into practice. In the period 1980 to 1990, asylums were closed down, and private growth settings, community care and group homes came into existence. Community mental health nursing services developed to help people with dementia.

In the 1990s, the task-focused approach of treating people with dementia was replaced by a person-centred approach, wherein the major focus was the person, and not the disease. Several therapeutic medications for dementia were also developed and approved in this period (Adams, 2008).

Starting from the year 2000 until the present day, approaches for treating dementia improved tremendously. A period of complete dependence on pharmacological care in the early 2000s has been replaced by personalised medicine, wherein non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments are combined and administered to meet certain specific needs of people (CSCI,…show more content…
Although dementia causes damage to brain, which gives rise to the behaviours of dementia, research is starting to indicate that emotions and abilities are retained by people, long into dementia (NCB, 2009). This increasing awareness, poses a strong challenges about the way in which people with dementia are respected and regarded in the society.

Ethical questions that arise during the management of a demented patient tend to vary with the stage of dementia. For instance, in early stages, patients are more likely to make their own decisions about which treatments they want to take, while their decision making capability may reduce as age progresses (Livingston et al., 2010). There are several elements that determine ethics-based care of people with dementia. They