Older People Living with Dementia in Wales - Essay Example

?Older People Living with Dementia in Cardiff, Wales What is Dementia in Older People? Dementia in older people has been frenetically researched owing to gravity of the situation created by this disease. This most commonly affects the older people between the ages of 50 and 60 and includes a broad range of symptoms including poor reflexes, impaired memory, poor perception, confused thinking, and significant behavioral changes. The momentous ability to control oneself behaviorally or emotionally is lost when a patient is in the throes of dementia. The principal motivating factor for development of dementia in older people over age 65 is recognized as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) because of its potential to negatively affect all brain functions like memory, perception, cognitive skills, mental or emotional behavior, and reasoning. After AD, the second most common factor responsible for dementia in the elderly is vascular dementia which proceeds in a similar way to AD but saves personality and emotions for the last to be destroyed (MedicineNet.com 2012). What is a Community and a Community Profiling? A community is a group of people living together and sharing some similar characteristics. Community profiling is a strategy which aims at identifying the needs and resources of a community and acknowledging what is valued by them. This concept is basically an attempt to describe myriad characteristics of a particular community (CANDL 2004). An increase in the profile of dementia in Cardiff suggests that this disease is not merely a concern of mental health services anymore. The number of older people diagnosed with dementia is expected to rise across Wales. Current profile of dementia in Cardiff suggests that there is a need to make more investments in care options for the elderly both living at home and in care settings (NHS Wales 2012). Government Strategies for Older People Living with Dementia in Cardiff It is fully acknowledged by state authorities in Cardiff, Wales how common is dementia among the elderly, so they are highly prioritized by the Welsh Assembly Government on multiple levels. Older people are already at a vulnerable stage in life and added to that vulnerability a rapid loss of brain functions certainly works to deteriorate their living conditions further. There are more people suffering from dementia now that life expectancy has considerably increased. That is why the Welsh government conscientiously took notice of this situation and laid foundation of national care plan in 2008 called National Dementia Plan. In addition to this program which works for the development and rehabilitation of older people diagnosed with dementia, there is also a National Dementia Vision plan which seeks to execute smartly engineered techniques to ensure professional advice and support to people with dementia. Media of emotional support and 24/7 bilingual helplines are also widely available in Cardiff. These helplines are handled by staff which is especially trained in the area of dementia (NHS Wales 2006). National Service Framework is another good strategy by the Welsh government which strongly relates to older people’s health issues. This strategy aims at improving on the practice that is already widely available throughout Wales in addition to facilitating the provision of incredible housing options and quality social care services to benefit older people in every way possible (Welsh Assembly Government n.d.). Services Available for Older People with Dementia in Cardiff a. Statutory Services Public Health Wales regularly carries out needs assessments of the local elderly living with dementia and came up with social care and wellbeing strategy in 2008. Given the extreme value of myriad social services provided by this strategy, it is safe to assume that reliable efforts are passionately being made to make Cardiff a healthier city. It is also stressed by NHS Act 2006 and Health Board of Wales to overcome health inequalities in Cardiff and ensure rapid care delivery to older people from all backgrounds in consistency with latest social care services. The statutory services aim at making improvements in those areas which are most valued by older patients like supply of suitable housing options to ensure them that their independence is not compromised in any way (Dixon & Peel 2008). b. Private Services Arrangement in the form of private care for the elderly with dementia is a very smart talent strategy because of its potential to affect them more positively than being transferred to live in separate housing facilities. Such private care is the ideal option for patients who do need 24/7 supervision (Alzheimer’s Society 2013). It is very fortunate that a large number of organizations from private sectors have come together in Wales to stand in unity against dementia. It is this harmonious integration that led to development of the Dementia Action Alliance to bring enormous changes in the quality of life of people living with dementia (DSDC 2013). c. Voluntary Services It is assumed that most services provided to the elderly with dementia in Wales are provided by the voluntary sectors. When dementia negatively affects the person’s ability to communicate without inconvenience, advocacy services provided by voluntary sectors prove to be very helpful. These services make sure that a person’s will is addressed even when he/she is not able to express him/herself perfectly. These services designed specifically for dementia require consistency in funding as it is suggested that currently in Wales “dementia advocacy services are in their infancy” (DSDC 2003). What are the ‘Strengths and Weaknesses’ of the services? Do the services meet the needs of the older people with dementia in Cardiff? The availability of a variety of services from voluntary, statutory, and private sectors in Cardiff has definitely improved living conditions of the elderly with dementia. This health issue is now taken seriously by all departments on equal basis due to a rising number of diagnosed people. These old people are not considered now the just recipients of mental health services alone because it is increasingly acknowledged due to community profiling that they their needs of autonomy and self-esteem should be addressed too. However, the weaknesses of these services stem from limited funding and not enough cost-effective use of resources (health.org.uk n.d.). Compare the services available for the older people in Cardiff to the services available in Rhondda Cynon Taff (Wales). There are many high quality nursing homes specifically for dementia in Rhondda, Cynon, Taff. These nursing homes are equipped with highly trained staff to provide quality mental health care services in addition to offering personalized support for the elderly with dementia. These care facilities in Cardiff and Rhondda are more or less same in respect that many of them have earned reputation for distinctly acknowledging the independence of old people with dementia and not merely concentrating on services focusing their mental health. References Alzheimer’s Society 2013, Respite care, [Online] Available at http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=140 [accessed: 29 November 2013]. CANDL 2004, Community Profiling, [Online] Available at http://www.barnardos.org.uk/communityprofiling.pdf [accessed: 29 November 2013]. Dixon, J & Peel, F 2008, Working Towards a Healthy City: Cardiff Health, Social Care and Well Being Strategy 2008-2001, [Online] Available at http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/864/HSCWB%20Strategy%20Web%20version.pdf [accessed: 29 November 2013]. DSDC 2003, Services for People with Dementia in Wales, [Online] Available at http://dsdc.bangor.ac.uk/documents/service-evaluations/DSDC%20Report%20No.%203_Advocacy%20Services%20for%20PWD.pdf [accessed: 29 November 2013]. DSDC 2013, Dementia and Imagination Project, [Online] Available at http://www.bangor.ac.uk/imscar/dsdc/stopress.php.en [accessed: 29 November 2013]. Health.org.uk n.d., Services for people with dementia, [Online] Available at http://www.health.org.uk/public/cms/75/76/4182/2704/Dementia%20care_5%20Service%20for%20people%20w%20dementia.pdf?realName=23zrPx.pdf [accessed: 29 November 2013]. MedicineNet.com 2012, Dementia Facts, [Online] Available at http://www.medicinenet.com/dementia/article.htm [accessed: 28 November 2013]. NHS Wales 2006, Health in Wales: Dementia, [Online] Available at http://www.wales.nhs.uk/healthtopics/conditions/dementia [accessed: 29 November 2013]. NHS Wales 2012, First Dementia Nurse Consultant appointed for North Wales, [Online] Available at http://www.wales.nhs.uk/news/25032 [accessed: 29 November 2013]. Welsh Assembly Government n.d., National Service Framework for Older People in Wales, [Online] Available at http://www.wales.nhs.uk/documents/nsf%20for%20older%20people.pdf [accessed: 29 November 2013]. Read More