NUR342 Evidence Based Health Research And Practice

Dementia is disturbance in thought process and memory by degenerating neurological (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2018). Alzheimer’s disease is a major cause of the dementia (Warren, Shi, Young, Borenstein & Martiniuk, 2015). In Australia, more than 1% population, 353,800 people, suffers from it and in the next five year the figure will be 400,000 (Renehan, Goeman, & Koch, 2017)). Shu Qin Li et al (2014) estimate 9% of people aged 65 or over have dementia in Australia. Similarly, the prevalence of dementia in Indigenous is 6.5% which is substantially higher than the general population (Shu Qin Li et al., 2014). Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013) reported that two-third of people identified with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease live in residential care. Moreover, 70% of people having dementia need high level of care (Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW), 2011). Lever et al (2016) highlight that due to the increased dementia cases, it is included in the National Health Priority Area. Thus, forty thousand qualified nurses are in demand in dementia care (AIHW as cited in Chenoweth et al., 2014).

I worked on an aged-care rehabilitation at Canberra Hospital in which more than 40% patients had mild to severe dementia. They were at risk of fall and had difficult behaviours such as refusing medications and personal hygiene.

I looked after a patient with dementia, turned on television and offered a cup of tea, the patient still refused to take medication and attain personal hygiene. Relating: what I learned from this event is that patient engaging techniques are crucial in nursing and clinical settings. Nurses who are competent in understanding dementia can deliver appropriate dementia care services (Traynor, Inoue & Crookes, 2011).

The incident taught me why the person-centered care is important along with engaging techniques when dealing with them.

In the future, I will complete e-learning on dementia care and watch YouTube videos on it and learn rapport building skills and distracting techniques.

Substantial increase in chronic diseases along with aging population, the demand for qualified nurses in clinical care, community and dementia-specific residential care has gone up (Australian Bureau of Statistics as cited in Chenoweth, et al., 2014). As dementia is not a normal process of aging; it is caused by chronic neurodegenerative disease that Writs individuals’ mental physical ability. Needs of the people are assessed, reported and liaised to multidisciplinary healthcare team by registered nurses. Thus, registered nurses have various roles in dementia care and clinical settings such as carer, advocate, leader and manager. By assuming these roles, the nurses promote health, work for disease prevention and enable patients to cope with disability or death (LeMone et al, 2017). Moreover, the nurses work with community to educate and aware people about dementia through focusing on person-center care. It is particularly important in Australia because of its multicultural contexts. Once migrants lose their cognitive ability due to the dementia and return to their native language, it is tough to understand their needs and deliver care (Soderman & Rosendahl, 2016). 

Answer

Themed Discussion Post 2A

Background

Dementia is a disorder characterized by dynamic psychological impedance and is related to disability in useful capacities and by and large, social and mental symptoms (Foley & Swanwick, 2014). It is usually caused by various factors like Alzheimer’s disease, depression, delirium, and so forth (Westendorf, Vaughn, & Duffy, n.d). This health problem affects many people. Dementia Australia (2018) highlights that about four hundred and twenty-five thousand people in Australia live with dementia currently. Females form almost 55% of this figure while males take up the other 45%. Even so, if measures to prevent or treat the disease are not developed, the figure is expected to rise to approximately five hundred and thirty-five thousand and 1.1 million by 2025 and 2056 respectively. This occurrence might lead to many deaths since dementia is the second leading death cause in Australia. It can be attributed to the 10.6% of all female deaths and 5.4% of all male deaths (Dementia Australia, 2018). In fact, Dementia Australia (2018) underscores that the health problem was the leading death cause among Australian females in 2016.

Importance to Nursing

Dementia as a clinical problem is crucial and relevant to nursing because of the various ways that it informs and shapes present and future practice. For example, as a clinical problem, dementia brings forth the need for patients to receive care from nurses. The care provided a patient with dementia is different from that offered to other individuals suffering from other diseases. In this regard, dementia highlights the manner in which care should be provided. Digby, Williams, & Lee (2016) talk about the association between caring for dementia patients and nurse empathy. In a way, dementia forces nurses to possess some level of empathy while caring for patients, a scenario that calls for person-centered care. This statement means that dementia also sets the platform for nurses to provide patient-centered care to patients by acknowledging the benefits of that move (Turner, Eccles, Elvish, Simpson, & Keady, 2017). This information proves that nurses should possess dementia nursing competencies (Traynor, Inoue, & Crookes, 2011), which might require training.

Personal Reflection

Reporting

While working at a nursing home, I managed to encounter various people who were living with dementia. Dealing with such people was difficult because of their jumbled speech, irritable behavior, restlessness, hallucinations, and so forth.

Responding

When taking care of one dementia patient, I decided to play the individual some soft music to calm the person down and gave the same individual a bottle of water to drink. Even so, the patient refused to drink the water and continued with the jumbled speech and restlessness.

Relating

This occurrence enabled me to understand that dementia nursing competencies are abilities that all nurses should possess to enable them to provide patient-centered care to all dementia patients. Training is crucial to ensure all nurses learn and internalize such competencies (Turner et al., 2017).

Reasoning

This incident enabled me to comprehend that knowledge, skills, and information concerning how to deal with dementia patients are vital resources. They enable comprehension of the techniques that can be used to engage with patients as well as offer them patient-centered care.

Reconstructing

This incident has made me resolve to learn more about dementia and its various aspects in the future to enable me to acquire all the necessary information, knowledge, and skills that are associated with the measures of preventing, managing, or treating this clinical problem.

References

Dementia Australia. (2018). Dementia statistics for media. Dementia Australia. Retrieved 18^th August 2018, from, https://www.dementia.org.au/media/key-facts-and-statistics.

Digby, R., Williams, A., & Lee, S. (2016). Nurse empathy and the care of people with dementia. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, The, 34(1), 52-59. Retrieved 18^th August 2018, from, https://www.ajan.com.au/Vol34/Issue1/6Digby.pdf.

Foley, T., & Swanwick, G. (2014). Dementia: diagnosis and management in general practice. Irish College of General Practitioners. Quality in Practice Committee. Retrieved 18^th August 2018, from, https://www.demenzemedicinagenerale.net/pdf/ICGP_QIP_DementiaJuly2014.pdf.

Mary Benbow, S., Tsaroucha, A., Ashley, M., Morgan, K., & Kingston, P. (2011). Patients’ and carers’ views on dementia workforce skills. The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, 6(4), 195-202. DOI: 10.1108/17556221111194536.

Robinson, J. G. (2007). Utilizing best practice in dementia care. Canadian Nursing Home, 18(1), 21. Retrieved 19^th August 2018, from, https://www.broadmeadcare.com/sites/default/files/documents/best%20practices%20dementia%20care%20-%20cnh.pdf.

Traynor, V., Inoue, K., & Crookes, P. (2011). Literature review: understanding nursing competence in dementia care. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20(13?14), 1948-1960. Retrieved 18^th August 2018, from, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/df13/2c1d7584d71f33cae5da978128f33d24871c.pdf.

Tsaroucha, A., Benbow, S. M., Kingston, P., & Mesurier, N. L. (2013). Dementia skills for all: a core competency framework for the workforce in the United Kingdom. Dementia, 12(1), 29-44. DOI: 10.1177/1471301211416302.

Turner, A., Eccles, F. J., Elvish, R., Simpson, J., & Keady, J. (2017). The experience of caring for patients with dementia within a general hospital setting: a meta-synthesis of the qualitative literature. Aging & Mental Health, 21(1), 66-76. Retrieved 18^th August 2018, from, https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/76132/1/Lit_review_ed_revised_submitted_clean_1_.pdf.

Westendorf, S., Vaughn, N., & Duffy, C. J. (n.d). Causes of dementia. Cerebral Assessment Systems, Inc. Retrieved 18^th August 2018, from, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7196/01a2a793c5028cd315d1573a8719e8bf0015.pdf.