A Research Proposal on Dementia Intervention Effectiveness - Essay Example

17 billion per year which can increase up to ?50 billion per year as dementia cases also increase (Comas-Herrera et al., 2007). The medical and economic costs of dementia can potentially intensify without identification of effective solutions. The social and psychological costs of its patients and families are also at stake. Dementia damages functions of memory, reasoning, communication skills and skills necessary for daily activities (Banerjee and Wittenberg 2009). It changes the mood, behaviour and personality of the affected person resulting to depressive tendencies (Kenny 2011).

However, the difficulty is that these symptoms progress slowly over time and, therefore, not easily recognized. No cure has been found yet for dementia and effective treatment that can reduce the chance of having one (Dementia Services Development Centre 2009). Recent dementia research has been focused on its early detection and prediction of occurrence on potential disease carriers. For example, researchers had a breakthrough on how Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia, can be diagnosed. . indicators that can help detect the likelihood of dementia to occur in a person and even the actual diagnosis when a person already has the disease.

Objectives of the Research The information available to us now about dementia leaves us to intervention strategies that can be implemented in the early detection of the disease. Although it is worthwhile to know how dementia can be avoided, research has yet to be done to ascertain these facts. We are left to determining patterns among dementia patients that can be used to manage dementia prevalence. A clear example is the identification of risk factors for cardio vascular diseases (Kenny 2011).

Effective intervention programmes are, therefore, critical in management of dementia patients. Identification of appropriate steps that can promote mental recovery and positive attitude by dementia patients could be the best solution. The solution should be on how we can address the challenge posed by dementia in the society today. This research aims to: 1. Identify the existing dementia intervention programmes implemented within the United Kingdom according to literature and survey among dementia clinics. 2. Assess the effectiveness of the intervention programmes available within UK clinics according to response of dementia patients. 3. Propose an effective intervention programme directed to UK dementia patients, using information from both literature and survey.

Research Questions This research intends to answer the following questions about the effectiveness of dementia interventions available within UK. 1. What are the existing dementia intervention programmes currently implemented within the last 20 years in UK? What are the recent discoveries about the disease and actions relating to