Alzheimer’s disease is a life changing disease that affects the individual living with the disease, as well as the families of these individuals. Therefore, it is imperative to delve deeper into a disease that is rapidly affecting the lives of the elderly. Some of the most important questions asked in research studies are: Who gets Alzheimer’s and what causes it? How does one care for a person for Alzheimer’s and what type of assistance is available to the caregivers? What options are available for families for end-of-life decisions?
The elderly clients I care for generally have ill health, the illnesses they suffer from can be physical and mental. Physical illness ranges from minor life limiting illness like obesity, to illness that prevents clients from leaving their bed, and are cared for in bed. Mental health illness ranges from minor confusion to extreme paranoia and various levels of dementia. The diverse needs of my client group mean that I have to be aware of individual needs every time I am work and have to develop my own ways of communicating with clients , these ways have to be assessed on every shift as the nature of the client group means the client will have good days and bad days. So although I may have individual ways of communicating they have to be reassessed every shift to ensure they are still relevant.
Chochinov, 2007 (cited in Cornwell & Goodrich, 2009), states simply that compassion is ‘a deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.’ Pediatric patients and their families are highly sensitive to the compassionate nature of health care professionals and a successful therapeutic relationship with them depends on the sensitive, compassionate care offered by the nurse. This paper will discuss why communication, family centred care and compassion are necessary and important qualities for a nurse to possess when working with pediatric patients and specify some of the challenges a nurse may meet in providing these. Communicating with Babies and Children Nursing children and babies requires a highly skilled and sensitive approach to communication. The developmental age of the pediatric patient needs to be considered when determining the best ways to
The combination of all these attribute to a serious communication loss. As a result older adults in my workplace with dementia face more than just communication difficulties such as unfamiliar surroundings, unfamiliar faces, routines and instructions to name a few which can be hard to follow so will also disrupt communication. For me in my job role it is imperative that these individuals with these language deficits and other cognitive impairments and my responsibility to facilitate the communication barrier. To do this a report is written up and kept to be updated when necessary having all the individuals details recorded helps to look back and access whenever necessary e.g. : 1) Being aware that there is some communication deficit 2) Being aware at what stage the communication difficulties are at (needing basic encouragement, right up to maybe sign or card pictures.)
Being compassionate is one of the most important traits a CENA must have. In the work place, a CENA may work in many saddening settings which may include working with the terminally ill and the elderly. In order for the aide to give the most effective care to the resident or patient, he or she must want to help. They would treat the patient as if it was their own family in this kind of predicament. They must have the passion to help others to get back to their everyday lives or for some, help them learn to live with their illness.
Within this program, where the expertise of various professionals will be required, people suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s disease will be followed up regularly and according to their needs. First and foremost, the institution carrying out the program will educate and raise awareness of home care providers like nurses, social workers, psychologists and recreational therapists about the unique challenges faced by these families. Occasional and primary care givers as well as patients will also be educated and supported through the challenges of early onset dementia because “EOD caregivers experience high levels of burden and suffer from depressive symptoms. In addition, they appear to experience a considerable number of psychosocial problems, including relational difficulties, family conflict, employment and financial issues, and negative experiences regarding the diagnostic process.”(Vliet, D. et al 2010, 1097) Since the
Once it is known what their struggles are, a plan of services can be made and put into action. Living Well with Dementia seeks to ensure people are provided with the best possible services. The role of teamwork in improving the health, wellbeing and quality of life for those living with dementia A team of different professionals which offers a greater chance of issues and barriers resolved and a better overall support. Each professional is an expert in their specialist area. Sofia’s family offers valuable insight into herself as they would spend long periods of time with her.
Dementia affects approximately 800,000 people in the UK alone. It is most common in people aged over 65 and the risk of dementia is greater as you get older. There are several types of dementia including Alzheimers, Vascular, Frontotemperal and Dementia with Lewy Bodies Symptoms Some of the main symptoms associated with dementia are: • memory loss, especially problems with memory for recent events, such as forgetting messages, remembering routes or names, and asking questions repetitively • increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require organisation
That is to find the most comfortable und helpful way to help the older adult. Assessing process includes the modifying of the testing environment to assure optimal performance, that will determine the client's current mental status, cognitive ability, social supports available to the client, the client's medical status, and interviews with family members and close friends (“Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders,” 2000). The process of assessment that is gathering, evaluating and the decision-making, can be complicated due to the variety of features. Among them are the issues that impact the older adults. The most
Planning for the future of the disabled is an exhausting necessity. There are numerous agencies to help ease the stress of estate planning for the disabled. Disabled Child, Aging Parents, Uncertain Future “Your child is disabled,” is a sentence foreign to many. But for those whom have experienced a doctor’s diagnosis in which their child’s name and disability are in the same sentence, life changes. A parent’s role is to take care of their children until they are old enough to take care of themselves.