Does the support offered by social services met the needs of dementia suffers and their carers living in their own homes

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Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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Abstract

In this study we try to explore the concept of dementia and its care at home in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on problems of mental illness and its relation with care given to the patients at homes. The research also analyzes many aspects of patients care and tries to gauge its effect on mental illness. Finally the research describes various factors which are responsible for dementia and tries to describe its overall effect on care given at home.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Introduction1

Background of the study2

Research Question4

Research Aims and Objectives4

Significance of the Study5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW8

Diagnosis and Course of Alzheimer's Disease9

Prevalence9

Risk Factors10

Neuro imaging11

Neuropsychological Deficits11

Affective and Personality Changes13

Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment16

Support of caregivers18

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY20

Research Design20

The care giver model20

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS23

Description of the Caregivers and Care Receivers23

Burden as a Predictor or as an Outcome26

Objective Versus Subjective Caregiver Burden27

How is Caregiver Burden Measured?29

Is Caregiver Burden a Distinct Concept?31

Interventions to Reduce Caregiver Burden32

Long term Care and Their Costs37

Long-Term Care and the Elderly38

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION41

REFERENCES47

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Dementia refers to a syndrome of acquired cognitive impairment sufficiently severe so as to interfere with social or occupational functioning. According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; 1994), “Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type” involves memory impairment and cognitive deficits in at least one other domain, demonstrated by defects in language, praxis (or skilled movements), knowledge (agonise), or impaired executive functioning, which are not due to other neurological disorders, medical conditions resulting in dementia, or substance abuse. The cognitive decline must be gradual, progressive, and severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. The cognitive impairment must also represent a significant decline from a previously higher level of functioning, and it must not occur in the context of delirium. Other forms of dementia (e.g., dementia due to Parkinson's disease, dementia due to head trauma, and dementia due to endocrine dysfunction) will share at least some symptom overlap with Alzheimer's, although the pattern of cognitive deficits and underlying neuropathologies will differ. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive degenerative brain disease that is characterized by neocortical atrophy, neuron and synapse loss, and the presence of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. ((Martin, 2009, 15)

Background of the study

As the baby boom generation reaches retirement age, and increasing numbers of individuals are surviving into older age ranges, the prevalence of cementing illness is also rising. Alzheimer's disease, the focus of this entry, ...