Informal Carers for Dementia Patients - Essay Example

Informal Carers for Dementia Patients Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code and Name: University: Date of Submission: Informal Carers for Dementia Patients Introduction The diseases, which affect an individual’s brains, cause diverse symptoms that change the personality of victims. Persons suffering from Dementia ceases from undertaking their normal tasks because of the incapacitation. Furthermore, the individuals begin displaying certain behaviors that are detrimental to their lives. Indeed, the fact that the condition takes away ability of such persons to engage in self thoughts and emotional management leaves them highly vulnerable to different risks. Therefore, relatives of such victims are frequently advised to ensure that victims are closely monitored to avoid getting into additional predicaments because of their vulnerabilities. Indeed, the carers that take the leading role in ensuring the wellbeing of people with Dementia can sometimes be trained to acquire specific skills of handling the victims. Furthermore, in cases where families of victims lack the ability to seek the services of trained carers then informal carers will ensure the wellbeing of such individuals. This paper seeks to highlight the notable things that informal carers need to know in order to understand and respond to the behaviors shown by people with Dementia. Dementia This condition is associated with brain performance damage and develops because of certain diseases. Dementia inhibits memory functioning, thought process, speaking capabilities, choice making, and behavior. It is notable that most Dementia types show nonreversible characteristics such that the alterations occurring inside the brain, which results into Dementia, cannot cease or turn back (Jackson 2000, p. 12). Alzheimer’s disease emerges as the most common form of Dementia. This condition is usually elevated among older persons. The stroke older persons frequently suffer from also has massive potential of causing Dementia. Medical conditions such as “Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Progressive supranuclear palsy” among others also cause Dementia (Jackson 2000, p. 28). It is noteworthy that health specialists can reverse or stop some conditions that cause Dementia whenever their identification occurs at their earlier developmental stages. The identification of Dementia may take place through observing their symptoms, which include predicaments too mental performance in areas such as language, recollection, perception, personality, and cognitive abilities among others. Dementia progress in individuals reaches certain stages where people lose their ability for self-care. At this stage, people are frequently showing characteristics of forgetfulness, loss of self-awareness, alternating sleeping schedules, and increased reading and writing predicaments (Jackson 2000, p. 24). Furthermore, other Dementia victims will show irrationality in their judgments and inability for danger recognition, speaking in a confusing manner, retracting from socialization, and violent behaviors. It is notable that other Dementia victims will have hallucinations, depression, and inability to undertake simple tasks including cooking and wearing clothes. Persons who suffer serious Dementia loses their language understanding abilities, becomes unable to recognize relatives and family members, and can longer undertake tasks of self-care including bathing and eating among others (Jackson 2000, p. 32). Undoubtedly, these behaviors connotes that such persons require carers who would ensure their lives continue amid the identified challenges. Presently, in communities where people suffer Dementia associated conditions family members originally offer care to the victims (O’Shea 2000, p. 48). The family and community members that offer care and support to Dementia patients frequently lacks relevant training thus are only capable of providing informal maintenance services. The notion to care for Dementia patients emerge from altruistic factors including affection and concern feelings on behalf of people offering care. Secondly, carers decide to care for Dementia patients because of reciprocity and responsibility felt by the supporters. Some carers also engage in supporting Dementia patients because of remorse and moral commitment to ensure the wellbeing of such people (Hughes, Hope & Reader 2002, p. 244). Indeed, remorse and moral obligation emerge because carers develop feelings that the society expects them to perform such roles. The latter inspiration to care for Dementia patients explains the notion that women dominate the care giving marketplace at the expense of men. Indeed, many societies also have cultural constructs that assign women the role of care giving (Hughes, Hope & Reader 2002, p. 244). The understanding that most carers in family and community settings offer informal care giving leads to questioning the notable things they need to understand and respond to the behavior displayed by dementia patients. Things that Informal Carers Need to Know for Understanding and Responding to How People with Dementia Behave It is noteworthy that Dementia patients frequently develop challenging behavior in the presence of their carers. Therefore, there is a need for the informal carers to know things that are helpful in understanding and responding to the behavior of Dementia patients (Long 2005, p. 26). Firstly, the informal carers need to know the possible causes of unusual behavior in their patients. Informal carers need to understand the background factors that would contribute to an emerging behavior by the Dementia patients (James 2005, p. 183). It is notable that developing a comprehension of Dementia patient’s behavior background factors can escalate chances of sensitive and responsive reaction to the emerging mannerisms. Dementia patient’s background factors for challenging behavior might include issues such as personality, relaxation, and occupational activities together with the patient’s original habits of response to stress. This is important to informal carers because they can respond accordingly to their patient’s behavior (James 2005, p. 183). Sometimes, a Dementia patient might suddenly begin to wander about on their own making informal carers uncomfortable because of fears that their patients might get hurt during such walks. However, a proper understanding of background of such patients might reveal that their previous occupations involved disproportionate walking. In this scenario, the Dementia patient might basically be continuing with their habit of walking over long distances while going to work. Therefore, informal care givers understanding of a background factor that their patients were originally undertaking work that involved trekking will enhance the nature of response to a wandering behavior in their patients (James 2005, p. 183). Secondly, informal carers need to understand the current factors in the life of their patients. Such factors might include medical reactions in the body of Dementia patients, which might generate pain thus making them produce some unusual behavior (Keady, Clarke & Page 2007, p. 284). Furthermore, current physiological predicaments may cause the patients to exhibit certain behavior including fidgeting, need to visit a toilet, and need to go for some walk. It is notable that some other conditions may be making the patients to feel pain, thus making them display unique behavior. Additionally, Dementia patients who have not had a nutritional intake might feel hunger, which makes them display unusual behavior (Keady, Clarke & Page 2007, p. 284). Some Dementia patients also indicate their need to go for physical exercise by persistently stretching their limbs. These scenarios indicate that it will be helpful for cares to understand the current events happening in the lives of Dementia patients to enhance their response to the unusual behaviors exhibited by such victims. Thirdly, informal carers also need to know the Dementia patient’s emotional conditions, which make them, behave in certain ways. Indeed, the carers need to understand and determine whether emotional conditions of their clients initiated the fresh behavior (Hughes, Williams & Sachs 2010, p. 284). The emotional conditions that might generate some expressive behavior among Dementia patients include idleness. It is noteworthy that Dementia patients have limited abilities to sustain attention over long periods, thus, any idleness would make them behave uniquely. It is also helpful for carers too understand whether anxiety or anger generated certain behavior in their clients. The emotional conditions that Dementia victims go through might produce certain reaction in them, thus making their behavior to express such predicaments (Hughes, Williams & Sachs 2010, p. 284). Therefore, when carers gain comprehension of their dementia victim’s emotional situations they are able to understand and respond accordingly to the identified behaviors. Fourthly, there is a need for carers to know the neuropsychological limitations of the Dementia patients in order to understand and respond to how patients behave. It is noteworthy that knowing the alterations in the patient’s brains will be helpful in understanding the functional limitations including inability of the mind to undertake intricate tasks (Keady, Clarke & Page 2007, p. 296). This can escalate frustration in such patients. In this scenario, the patient will exhibit frustration behaviors. Knowing this condition of the patients can enhance the comprehension of behavior and decide on the appropriate response. It is also critically vital for carers to know the challenges associated with the patient’s inability to familiarize themselves in diverse surroundings. The alterations that occur within the patients brains might affect perception and location awareness. The outcome of this would be visible in the way Dementia patients become confused to the extent that they cannot successfully locate their bed, clothes, and their homes (Stevens 2010, p. 244). Furthermore, Dementia patients that lack the ability to orientate might eventually be struggling with wearing clothes over long periods. Sixthly, the carers need to know the prevailing environmental aspects that have a potential to generate challenging behavior in their patients in order to comprehend such actions and respond appropriately. When carers accompany the patients to health facilities, they need to know the environmental aspects in such areas that can cause unusual behavior. Most importantly, ward setting during such trips and the nearness to other people, can produce challenging behavior in patients (Mahney, Volicer & Hurley 2000, p. 4). Indeed, many patients are affected by environmental factors that make them to lose their routine including meal time and sleeping time. Additionally, strange environments can generate extreme behavior in patients who would stay secluded from others. Hospital settings also present challenging activities to Dementia victims, thus making them exhibit unruly behavior in certain scenarios. Dementia victims who may not comprehend hospital processes such as blood pressure measurements might resist such efforts by doctors (Mahney et al. 2000, p. 4). It is also notable that Dementia patients can cause sensory stimulation burden. This is because extremely busy health facilities surroundings with massive noise frequently devastate Dementia victims who might be used to quieter environment in the home setting. Knowing all these environmental aspects with massive potential to generate diverse behaviors among Dementia patients remains highly helpful in understanding and responding with appropriate measures (Mahney et al. 2000, p. 4). Seventhly, the carers need to know the communication challenges experienced by dementia victims in order to enhance the comprehension and response according to the way patients behave. It is notable that Dementia victims frequently find challenges communicating their wants orally because of word finding struggles (Brayan & Maxin 2005, p. 146). Therefore, such victims would resort too calling out others using gestures, walking around on their own, and agitation to drive their communication. With such information already known by carers, they are able to understand why their patients behave in certain ways thus appropriately choosing a way to respond to their behavior. In many cases, this remains the most challenging thing that carers have to know (Brayan & Maxin 2005, p. 146). Indeed, they have to develop a way of communicating with Dementia patient’s over time. At the initial stages of care giving, carers frequently face massive challenges, which apparently frustrate them deeply. Therefore, most commentators suggest that informal carers need to know the basic language that Dementia patients use to pass information. These might include gestures, wandering, or calling other people through movement of their mouth. Knowing the basic communication system their Dementia patients use can enhance their ability to provide them with care. This is because it enhances the understanding of their communication (Brayan & Maxin 2005, p. 149). This makes it possible for the carers to respond according to the behavior that patents exhibit. Furthermore, informal carers need to know the language as a family or by everyone who interacts and offer care to patients. The significance of this initiative emerges from the notion that much as Dementia patients lack communication abilities they also deserve to feel loved by their relatives (Brayan & Maxin 2005, p. 150). Indeed, thus is highly significant in adding the quality of life of such victims. The greatest suggestion that has remained untenable for long periods now entails the call by different stakeholders seeking to promote informal carers training in information sharing skills. Indeed, many stakeholders have suggested that organizing small workshops that objectively seek to empower families with dementia victims in order to equip them with communication skills that can facilitate interactions (Brayan & Maxin 2005, p. 148). Furthermore, such initiatives will eventually enhance the understanding of Dementia victim’s behavior, which frequently suggest their need to pass certain information. There is a need for informal carers to know the conditions associated with unusual sleeping behavior. It is noteworthy that some Dementia victims exhibit sleep-wake behavior, which makes them to stay awake whenever other people are sleeping and sleeps when people are doing their daily tasks (Wayman 2011, P. 28). In this situation, many Dementia patients can eventually develop sun downing, which connotes behavioral devastations that worsen as the day comes to an end. The symptoms might entail extreme agitations, restlessness, and escalated argumentative behavior among others. Sun downing frequently becomes worse when patients make efforts to adjust their routines. The carers need to know the predicaments associated with Sun downing because the situation also emanates from the brain conditions. The alterations inside people’s brain can cause limited bodily stimulation especially after darkness (Wayman 2011, P. 28). It is argued that confusions are likely to escalate from the minimal late evening routines, which makes Dementia victims restless and aggressive. It is notable that this makes Dementia victims highly volatile that carers find it extremely challenging to manage their behaviors (Wayman 2011, P. 34). However, the most significant thing would entail knowing that Dementia can escalate sun downing. This understanding is very important for generating appropriate responses too behaviors associated with sun downing. Indeed, carers who handle Dementia victims with sun downing might manage the predicament through escalating the patient’s engagement into activity in the early morning while ensuring they obtain some little sleep in the afternoon. Avoiding bodily restraining the suffering persons might enhance adjustment (Wayman 2011, P. 40). This will be tenable through allowing Dementia patient with sun downing too enjoy an evening walk because this will be highly helpful in attaining the acclimatization. Carers must also avoid offering Dementia victim’s caffeine especially when evening hours are arriving. The carers need to know that their patient’s main concern entails sleeping at night (Wayman 2011, p. 41). Furthermore, carers need to find settings and arrangements that escalate sleep among Sun downing victims. The notable ways one would offer care with the intention of inducing their patients into sleeping is through leaving radio or light on. The informal carers also need to understand the non-cognitive symptoms, which might generate massive distress with the potential to make patients suffer because of challenging behaviors. The informal carers must know how to assess at earlier times the likely challenging factors, which could escalate over a period of time (Mahney et al. 2000, p. 32). Such assessments need to focus on the Dementia patient’s bodily health, stress, possible discomforts, medication impacts, personal biography, and psychological aspects among others. The informal carers assessments might help them understand the emerging challenging behavior and undertake sensitive and responsive reactions too such expressions Mahney et al. 2000, p. 32). Furthermore, the informal carers need to organize person centered response, which takes place after reviewing the assessments periodically to identify some f the upcoming behavior challenges requiring fresh responses Conclusion In summary, Dementia remains a challenging predicament that affects many older persons. Dementia causes victims personality to change significantly affecting the lifestyle of such persons. The victims eventually cease to undertake their normal tasks because of their altered personality. Dementia takes away victims capacities for self-thought, emotional stability, and minimal rational abilities. Dementia increases victim’s vulnerabilities because of reduced mental capacities to coordinate different activities. These conditions make it necessary for such victim’s to be given care, and support. This is the rational for having informal carers who come from families or communities with Dementia to give care to their older persons. There are several things that informal carers need to know in order to understand and respond to Dementia victims behavioral changes. The notable things they need to know include the victims background factors, present events, emotional scenarios, environmental aspects, and challenges associated with communication difficulties among others. List of References Bryan, K & Maxim, J 2005, Communication disability in the dementias, John Wiley & Son, New Jersey, NJ. Hughes, J, Hope, T, Reader, S & Rice, D 2002, ‘Dementia and Ethics: the Views of informal Carers,’ The Royal Journal of Society of Medicine, Vol. 95, No. 5, pp. 242-246. Hughes, J, Williams, M & Sachs, G 2010, supportive care for the person with dementia. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Jackson, G 2000, understanding Dementia, Elsevier Health Sciences, London. James, I 2005, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Older People: Interventions for Those with and Without Dementia, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Philadelphia, PA. Keady, J, Clarke, C. & Page, S 2007, Partnerships in community mental health nursing and dementia care: practice perspectives, McGraw-Hill International, New York, NY.  Long, S 2005, Caring for people with challenging behaviors:  essential skills and successful strategies in long-term care, Health Professions Press, New York, NY. Mahney, E, Volicer, L, Hurley, A & Hurley, A 2000, Management of challenging behaviors in Dementia, Health Professions Press, New York, NY. O’Shea, E 2000, The Costs of Caring for People with Dementia and Related Cognitive Impairments, National Council on Ageing and Older People (NCAOP), Dublin. Stevens, A 2010, Health care needs assessment: the epidemiologically based needs assessment reviews, Volume 2. Radcliffe Publishing, New York, NY. Wayman, L 2011, Loving Approach to Dementia Care: Making Meaningful Connections with the Person Who Has Alzheimer's disease Or Other Dementia or Memory Loss, JHU Press, Maryland, MD. Read More