Children With Dementia And Parkinson s Disease - 1488 Words

1. Introduction Dementia is a collection of symptoms caused by disorders affecting the brain which impact on a person’s functioning, ranging from thinking to behaviour and the ability to perform ordinary tasks and there are different type of dementia with the most common types being Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and Parkinson’s disease (Keast, 2015). In 2009, nearly two-thirds (62%) of people identified as having dementia or Alzheimer s disease were living in a health establishment such as a nursing home, an aged care hostel, or the cared component of a retirement village (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). People with dementia experience problems with communicative, cognitive and emotional tasks. 2. Immediate issues of†¦show more content†¦Her cognitive decline has an effect on her quality of life and function due to problems of memory, planning, language and attention. There is a risk of malnutrition as Wander is unable to feed herself and is reported to be refusing her meals hence, needing to be fed. The presence of verbal and physical aggression towards care staff is a challenging concern that needs immediate intervention for her safety and that of care staff. The patient has insomnia and this could be contributing to her aggression. She is reported to be calling out in both Polish and English and this indicates that she is having communication problems and this could be a barrier causing her to be frustrated as he cannot communicate her needs effectively. Wanda has a history of arthritis and pain is another issue for her that may be causing aggression. According to Ahn Horgas, (2014) pain in dementia is positively correlated with disruptive behaviours i.e. aggre ssion and agitation. 3. Stages of Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s is an irreversible disease normally affecting the elderly population and is progressive in nature causing degeneration that leads to impairments in memory, reasoning, planning, and behaviour. It is a neurodegenerative disorder that adversely affects neurons in the brain, ultimately resulting in loss of memory and language, behavioural disturbances, and dependence on caregivers (Phillips, Baktir, Das, Lin Salehi, 2015, p. 1047). Alzheimer’s has 3