Mental Health Clients with Down Syndrome - Term Paper Example

Running Head: Mental Health clients with Down syndrome Mental Health clients with Down syndrome Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject Code and Name Date Submitted Mental Health clients with Down Syndrome Introduction Down syndrome is a common mental condition associated with the presence of a spare chromosome in an individual. Due to this condition a patient is unable to have normal cognitive ability as well as physical development (Rondak & Comblain, 2010). However, these patients receive therapy to help them cope with simple basic functions as well as improve their cognitive ability. The therapy involves certain skill and patience as patients with Down syndrome may appear to be quite stubborn. Patients with Down syndrome may suffer from other health related conditions as well such as mental illness so the therapy must be able to cover all their needs. Understanding how this therapy works and how it benefits the patients is important as it will be able to benefit more individuals. Aim of Study The aim of this assessment is to make sure people understand the importance of therapy. Most individuals do not feel the need to enroll their families or friends with Down syndrome in institutions that offer therapy (Mann, 1992). Defining the benefits that one gets from the therapy might act as an eye opener for many individuals (Donaldson, 2010). There are likely to be problems that exist in the clinics that offer the therapy and this study is going to highlight some of the problems encountered. This will help improve the therapy sessions both for the patients and the professionals. There are some services that might be vital for the patients suffering from Down syndrome and they are not available during the therapy sessions (Deb et al, 1992). Hence, this study helps improve the services offered by the therapeutic centers. Problem Encountered Therapeutic recreation centers are meant to improve the cognitive ability in patients with Down syndrome. Although they work at improving this factor, they tend to miss out on some important factors that may be very important to the patients (Rose, 1997). Patient management is one of the major problems encountered in the therapeutic recreation centers. Background of Problem Most centers that offer therapies look at the medical history and deal with the patients medically. Some of the patients suffering form Down syndrome do not benefit from the therapy because the professionals do not understand the patients (Rondal & Edwards, 1997). Understanding the patients requires skill and patience and considering the number of patients that some facilities have to deal with, and then patience is not highly exercised (Bromly & Emerson, 1997). This is said considering that some of the patients may have other mental related illness such as; depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. Patient management is a process that takes time but the results achieved in the end are quite beneficial (Chapman, 1999). Down syndrome is a condition that one is born with and does not develop with age. Improving the cognitive ability in a patient should start at an early age as this will be help speed up the process (Brown, 1985). Individuals living with patients who have Down syndrome tend to cater to all their needs without letting them get any therapy until later (Oliver, Crayton, Holland & Hall, 2000). Cognitive development should start as soon as the child is making any learning progress in their lives. Individuals with Down syndrome are capable of conducting a lot of activities and are not necessarily physically impaired. They tend to be slow and this is mistaken as hopeless for some individuals. The earlier that parents engage their children in programs offered at school, the faster the cognitive development process is likely to occur. The programs are important as the professionals understand the children and teach them in a manner that suits them most (Bromly & Emerson, 1997). This may seem to be a problem as most parents would want their children to learn on the same environment as other children but if they are placed in the same class as their peers then they are likely to adapt to the environment a lot faster. On the other hand adults suffering from Down syndrome may take a while before their cognitive ability is stabilised. Members responsible for the patient may find the therapy a waste of their money as well as time (Donaldson, 2010). This is attributed to the fact that the individual is supposed to have found their basis of speech by this time and further therapy may not help. It is important that the adults still participate in the therapy as their slowness may be related to their mental health where they have difficult time adjusting to the current environment (Sharpley, Bitsika& Efremidis, 1997). This belief is very common but people need to understand that even adults can still develop their cognitive ability with time. The professionals taking care of the adult patients need to have a lot of patience with them as they may appear to be very stubborn and difficult to control (Campbell- Taylor, 1993). This is a situation where the patient management skills should be set in motion. The nurses catering to the patients should be able to understand the level of cognitive impairment in the patient and deal with him according to that level (Sistler & Washington, 1999). The problem facing nurses is that they do not understand the level of cognitive development in the patient hence, handle them in a manner that is not appropriate. This means that the gap between the clinicians and the nurses should be greatly reduced as the nurses need to be aware of the development of a patient (Fletcher, 1989). This way, the patient will receive more leading to the cognitive development. Patients suffering from Down syndrome may have other related diseases such as; cardiac conditions, hearing problems among other issues (Thase, Smelter & Maloon, 1982). If the nurses have such information, then they might take care of the patients more effectively. Understanding the patients is another problem that has been quite evident in many therapeutic recreation centers (Kempler, Curtiss & Jackson, 1987). This does not apply to the medical records or development but to the relationship that the clinician is supposed to build with the patient (Wright, et al, 1991). This is an important factor that will greatly help the patient. This will lead to stable means of communication between the patient and the nurses and the patient will be treated according to his terms and level (Dani et al, 1996). This will also make the patient feel more comfortable in their surroundings and be more willing to collaborate with the nurse and the other health professionals (Rose, 1999). This will tend to be very beneficial in areas where the patient has a hearing problem. Communicating this to the nurse may be hard but if there is a good relationship between the patient and the nurse then this problem may easily be detected and handled appropriately (Dupont, Vaeth & Videbech, 1986). Family is one of the areas that rarely given attention; this covers the families of the patients who have Down syndrome (Ylieff, 2000). It is very important that the families of the patients seek health counseling and guidance (Devenny et al, 1996). Most families do not find this necessary as they feel the patient is the one in need of the counseling (Hart, 1988). This may greatly affect the patient since the environment at home may not be suitable for them (Oliver, Crayton, Holland & Hall, 2001). The family be counseled on how to handle the patient to make sure there is progress in his/her cognitive development. This will help the family members deal with the tantrums and stress that may be depicted by the patients (Baird & Sadovnick, 1995). The situation is not unusual considering that patients with Down syndrome and have mental illness are likely to be rather stubborn. Methodology Researching this problem included the collection of a lot of information before making conclusions. Qualitative analysis was selected as most suitable for this research as the information collected revolves around an organizational research (Bishop & Byng, 1985). The information will have to be collected from direct sources through interviews, observation among other factors. The flexibility of qualitative research would work to my advantage during this research since the interviews can be scheduled according to the patients and the clinicians’ schedule (Lenneberg, 1967). This will also help get more direct answers and instant feedback as well. The research will also help me as a researcher make my individuals assumptions through the work observed. Data Collection Process The data was collected through various methods both from primary sources and secondary as well. Written sources from credible journals proved to be quite successful as they were used to confirm the information collected from the research. This information helped me approach the research with an understanding of what issues are likely to pose as problems. Knowledge of such factors helped improve the knowledge on the information of what was being observed or information collected from interviews (IDRC, n.d.). Unwritten Sources The methods that are to be used for this research are; use of questionnaires, interviews and observation. Considering that this research aims to focus on how therapeutic recreation centers help to maintain clients’ cognitive ability when they have Down syndrome with mental health conditions, then the information collected ought to be accurate. Questionnaires The questionnaires ought to cover information missed out during the interviews or observation routine. The questionnaires are to be prepared in a manner that will deliver the results the research aims to achieve (Evenhius, Kengen & Eurlings, 1990). They are to be simple but precise in manner that the person answering them will not have any problem or be confused (IDRC,n.d.). The questions should only focus on the subject matter in order to avoid ambiguity. The questions will be mainly directed to the clinicians and the nurses. The questions to be exhibited in the questionnaire are; How does one realize that a patient with Down syndrome has mental illness? Is a patient with Down syndrome and suffering from mental illness treated differently from one without mental illness? What are some of the steps taken to ensure that the cognitive ability of the patient is developing? Are the procedures usually successful? How long does the development process take? What are some of the skills that the nurses and clinicians are supposed to have in order to cater to the patients? What is the relationship between the patients and the nurses and the clinicians? Interviews Conducting interviews is not an easy task as the clinicians at the therapeutic center are likely to follow their own schedule. Hence, the interviews will be conducted during various intervals like break sessions or when the center is not very busy. The interviews will be focused on the health professionals and the nurses as well as the family members of the victims (Lunney, 1970). An interview on the patients might be very useful but gaining collaboration from the patients may be difficult and the questions may appear quite vague to them. Therefore, information from the patients is best collected through observation (IDRC, n.d.). The interviews will mainly focus on collecting information based on the professionals’ perspective as well as the members of the family. The information collected will be compared against the information collected from the written sources. This will be able to determine whether the therapy sessions conducted are helping the patients with Down syndrome develop their cognitive ability (Wisnieski & Silverman, 1996). The participants should be voluntary and should be able to provide credible information. The questions asked should be according to the centers’ regulations and they should be within the subject matter. It is also important that the interviews do not consume much of the participants time as it may make them uncomfortable. In general, the interviews should be able to give the information needed for the research. Observation Observation is the other method that will be used to collect information about the development. The process of observation will be quite simple as it will involve studying the actions of the patients as well as the caregivers. The information collected will later be translated into useful information that will be added to the research (IDRC, n.d.). One can be able to collect a lot of information through the ct of observation. This should be conducted in a manner that will not interrupt the normal sessions or make the individuals involved uncomfortable. Sampling Method The questionnaires used will be collected and the information collected sampled in form of charts or tables. The interviews conducted will be recorded using recorders in order to avoid misquoting the participants. During the observation process, the information observed is also recorded immediately incase the information is forgotten. Suggestions for the Future There are steps being carried out to enable the therapeutic recreation centers to be more successful in development of cognitive ability in patients with mental illness. Counseling sessions should be put in place that will benefit the patients as well as the families of the patients (Brown & Leigh, 1985). The nurses taking care of the patients should also have regular counseling incase they are having trouble taking care of the patients. There should be a good relationship created between the health professionals and the nurses. This will help the nurses provide better attention to their patients. This will be very beneficial to the nurses as their work will be much easier and the patients (Holland & Oliver, 1996) will attain good health faster. The health professionals and nurses should attend classes that will help them cope with the patients better (Chung & Corbett, 1998). These classes are not offered in most learning institutions and they are very important. The classes should not be there for the care givers only but for the parents and other family members as well (Wilson & Ivan- Chalian, 1995). This way the development process will continue even at home. Individuals taking care of the patients may be suffering as well psychologically. Careful monitoring of the caregivers will help improve the health of the patients as well. The staff is not well taken care of and future investigations should be able to focus more on this factor more keenly (Burt, et al. 1995). This is bound to solve many more issues other than the ones experienced by staff. Research focusing on how the staff is affected if the patient is not improving but rather is deteriorating is important as it will help understand the work done by the caregivers and how they are affected (Hummel & Sligo, 1971). Providing different environments for the patients as well as the caregivers is a good basis for future research. Although different environments may trigger some changes in the patient, they might be very beneficial eventually. The patients should be provided with more facilities to cater for their needs fully. More facilities will lead to the emerging of new methods used to cater for the patients (Jancar & Jancar, 1996). The formation of institutions that promote Down syndrome awareness especially when associated with mental illness will greatly benefit many individuals. Some parents keep the members of their families away from therapy without the knowledge that they might be suffering from mental illness (Oliver, 1998). Further research concerning Down syndrome and dementia should be conducted as this is not an area that is given much attention. The behaviour exhibited by such patients may be challenging and further research may provide instant solutions to such problems (Emerson, et.al. 1999). Patients suffering from Down syndrome do not only have mental illness but other health issues as well. They may have endocrine associated issues such as; thyroid problems and diabetes (Emerson, 1995). This research will also be very important. Down syndrome is also associated with otolaryngology, which is related with hearing problems and sleeping complications. Down syndrome is also related to musculoskeletal, which affects the spinal cord and other related diseases (Appel, Kertesz & Fishman, 1982).Patients with Down syndrome are prone to suffer from dental problems and such research would help them receive better care. This includes; periodontal diseases. Reference List Appel, J., Kertesz, A., & Fishman, M. 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