Case study assessment 2
Case study assessment 2
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Overview:
The case chosen for the task is the case study on dementia. The case study is about Kevin and Maree. Kevins wife Maree had been experiencing memory lapses. Her condition further deteriorated and changes in mood were seen. Her condition affected her ability to work as a Head of Finance at a school and she began to work part-time because of the deterioration of her condition. This was followed by dependence on care activities at home and Marie was provided in-home support by Comma Monaro Nursing Service. The case depicts the risk of dementia in the elderly population group. It is a condition that mainly affects the elderly population group and it is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among the older population group (World Health Organization, 2022).
The disadvantaged populations in the case study are elderly people with dementia and their caregivers. As dementia is a condition that has an impact on memory, language, attention, concentration, and executive function, people mostly experience deterioration in emotion and behavior (Kamalzadeh et al., 2019). Such issues were found for Maree as she experienced low mood and she often got lost which caused trouble for her husband. Other environmental risk factors of dementia included air quality, exposure to tobacco smoking, toxic heavy metal exposure and occupational-related exposures such as excessive noise, radiation exposure and exposure to aluminium (Killin et al., 2016). Social isolation could be one of the risk factors of dementia in the elderly population group. According to Goldberg et al. (2021), due to cognitive decline, people with dementia get restricted in their activities of daily living. The restriction is associated with isolation and it is associated with the development of dementia.
The barrier to health care access included her mobility problems and deterioration in cognitive decline. Loss of mobility can lead to the risk of falls, loss of independence, and barriers to participation in activities. It affected Marees ability to seek health services and her husband opted for in-home support services to meet her needs of the Maree (Van Ooteghem et al., 2019).
Context:
From the analysis of the case study, the key healthcare priorities identified for Maree included the management of her self-care needs, managing the symptoms of dementia, providing support for immobility, promoting socialization, and supporting the education of the family caregiver. As the caregiving burden had an emotional and mental impact on Kevin, considering the health of the carer is considered important too. In addition, the patient may be in need of nursing care to manage multiple medications, mobility needs, and management of other co-existing conditions. Khanassov et al. (2021) argue that people with dementia should be referred to specialized services for the management of behavioral symptoms and rapidly progressive memory decline. Maree needed such support because of her memory loss and getting lost frequently. She was in need of supervision from someone. It can be done by nurses or community support groups. In addition, prioritizing needs of care is considered critical as the caregiving burden affects their social life and work routine. They should be given adequate support by means of counseling or working on their coping abilities. This will support them in achieving a balance between caring responsibilities and their personal needs (Bressan, VVisintini, C., & Palese, 2020). Hence, providing psychological and emotional support to Karen can help to ensure his well-being too.
In the national context, the Australian government has taken responsibility to manage the needs of the aging population with dementia. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety revealed paying attention to four areas, these are caring for people with dementia, food and nutrition, elimination of restrictive practices and palliative care. The key measures or strategies used by the Australian government were to implement early intervention assistance, improve respite experience for people with dementia and improve the quality of dementia. Early intervention has been prioritized as it can increase access to services that maintain the health and independence of patients. In addition, the Australian government prioritized giving more support to care by implementing psychological support (AIHW, 2022).
Role of the nurse:
The target population of interest in the case study is elderly patients with dementia. Nurses have a critical role in providing person-centered care to this group. They have a role in building a therapeutic relationship with patients and working on their physical as well as emotional challenges due to the disease. According to Pan, Wang, and Wang (2022), the geriatric population with dementia needs to take much medicine for the management of symptoms. Nurses play a role in counseling patients and family regarding the disease management process. Apart from education on the disease, they play a role in helping family members understand the indications, dose, side effects and precautions needed while using different medications.
Maintaining proper nutrition and supporting dementia patients in daily living is important. Maree had memory problems and she may be at risk of poor nutrition. Nurses can play a role in providing a proper diet and addressing any risk of undernutrition. Secondly, they can help caregivers with nutritional information and appropriate food choices for the geriatric population group. One of the common challenges faced by the elderly population with dementia is the inability to perform daily life activities. In such cases, support from nurses is critical to meet their self-care needs, mobility and transfer requirements. Nurses can also assist patients in physical activity to promote executive performance, minimize seclusion and increase the ability to socialize (Gibson, Goeman & Pond, 2020).
The mental health of patients with dementia deteriorates because of cognitive impairment, memory loss and loss of concentration. If these issues are not addressed, the patients quality of life deteriorates. Nurses use their communication skills such as empathy and active listening to provide them with dignified personal care and preserve their self-esteem. Nurses have an expanded role in providing support to the family too. As caregivers often experience anxiety and depression due to the caregiving burden, nurses have the responsibility to provide personalized information on their health. For instance, nurses can give information on resources to learn more about the disease and referral to community support or respite services. They can be guided to developing coping and care skills (Bressan, Visintini & Palese, 2020).
Health promotion and education:
The case study of Karen and Maree reflects the care needs and challenges of elderly people with dementia. Along with cognitive impairment, such patients are in need of support because of memory loss, poor concentration and disability. To promote the health of the group, it is suggested to increase access to social support for the population. The main rationale for this strategy is that it can address feelings of social isolation and control the risk of depression in patients. Social support intervention can promote social connection for patients like Maree and allow them to address feelings of loneliness. A patient may lose intimacy with their spouse or fail to engage in meaningful social activities because of their diseases. Social support interventions such as online peer groups or taking part in any social program can allow patients to socialize and address the risk of social isolation (Van Orden & Heffner, 2022).
The second strategy for promoting the health and well-being of the target population is to refer them to relevant services designed specifically for dementia patients. For instance, patients can be referred to the Dementia Guide. It is an important resource for people affected by dementia. It can make people aware of the disease, the treatment process and the support services for their health (Dementia Australia, 2022). In addition, dementia patients and their families can be referred to respite care in Australia. It allows the caregiver to take rest from caregiving responsibilities and go on holiday. People can also contact Dementia Australia to provide support and counseling (Dementia Australia, 2022).
References:
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2022). Dementia in Australia. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/dementia/dementia-in-aus/contents/national-policy-response-to-dementia
Bressan, V., Visintini, C., & Palese, A. (2020). What do family caregivers of people with dementia need? A mixedmethod systematic review.Health & Social Care in the Community,28(6), 1942-1960.https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13048Bressan, V., Visintini, C., & Palese, A. (2020). What do family caregivers of people with dementia need? A mixedmethod systematic review.Health & Social Care in the Community,28(6), 1942-1960. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-021-01528-3
Dementia Australia (2022). The Dementia Guide. Available at: https://www.dementia.org.au/resources/the-dementia-guide (Viewed on: 10th Nov 2022)
Dementia Australia (2022). Using respite care. Available at: https://www.dementia.org.au/i-am-a-carer-family-member-or-friend/taking-care-of-yourself/using-respite-care (Viewed on: 10th Nov 2022)
Gibson, C., Goeman, D., & Pond, D. (2020). What is the role of the practice nurse in the care of people living with dementia, or cognitive impairment, and their support person (s)?: a systematic review.BMC family practice,21(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-020-01177-yGoldberg, T. E., Choi, J., Lee, S., Gurland, B., & Devanand, D. P. (2021). Effects of restriction of activities and social isolation on risk of dementia in the community.International Psychogeriatrics,33(11), 1207-1215.doi: 10.1017/S1041610221000776.
Khanassov, V., Rojas-Rozo, L., Sourial, R., Yang, X. Q., & Vedel, I. (2021). Needs of patients with dementia and their caregivers in primary care: lessons learned from the Alzheimer plan of Quebec.BMC family practice,22(1), 1-9.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-021-01528-3Killin, L. O., Starr, J. M., Shiue, I. J., & Russ, T. C. (2016). Environmental risk factors for dementia: a systematic review.BMC geriatrics,16(1), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-016-0342-yPan, J., Wang, P., & Wang, Y. (2022). Expanding role of nurses in management of dementia in geriatrics: improving well-being of geriatric patients through quality nursing care.Psychology, Health & Medicine,27(3), 707-714. doi:10.1080/13548506.2021.1939890Kamalzadeh, L., Moghaddamnia, M., Malakouti, S. K., Rashedi, V., Bahrampour, S., Sharifi, N., ... & Shariati, B. (2019). Prevalence of dementia among older patients: a hospital-based study in Iran.American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias,34(7-8), 500-506.https://doi.org/10.1177/15333175198482
Van Ooteghem, K., Musselman, K. E., Mansfield, A., Gold, D., Marcil, M. N., Keren, R., ... & Iaboni, A. (2019). Key factors for the assessment of mobility in advanced dementia: A consensus approach.Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions,5, 409-419. doi:10.1016/j.trci.2019.07.002Van Orden, K. A., & Heffner, K. L. (2022). Promoting social connection in dementia caregivers: A call for empirical development of targeted interventions.The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnac032World Health Organization (2022). Dementia. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia
