HEALTHCARE FOR OLDER PEOPLE

Healthcare for older people



Healthcare for Older People

Introduction

This essay aims to discuss healthcare provision for older people. It will give an outline of dementia and briefly explain the different types. This essay will focus on Alzheimer's disease (AD) and discuss its origin, causes, signs and symptoms, and examine it from a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) perspective. It will explore the assessment methods, cognitive therapies and treatments used in the community to ensure that older people with the disease are cared and provided for appropriately. Use of cognitive enhancers will be discussed, along with reminiscence therapy and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), as nursing interventions to promote independence and maintain function. This essay will also identify and discuss how government policies have affected the provision of healthcare for older people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The selection of CMHT to examine in this essay was based on a previous practice placement that highlighted the promotion of home-based care for mild and moderate AD to encourage independent living within the community.

Backgroung of Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder and the most ordinary form of dementia which causes loss of memory. People suffering from this disease is more vulnerable to develop impairment in scholarly activities, as in, reasoning, planning and developing perceptions about something which ultimately leads to a gradual change in behavior and personality. It is a progressive disease and people crossing the age of 70 are more likely to catch it in routine cases. However, there are cases where people have lived for 100 years, but, have not suffered from it. According to current statistics, 60-80 percent of people suffering from dementia has Alzheimer's disease and is the fourth major reason of deaths in the United Kingdom (Baggott,1994, Pp 54-78). In addition to this, the likelihood of Alzheimer's occurrence is more in women as compared to men. Alzheimer's disease is considered to be the most dangerous disease of the central nervous system. This disease has characteristics of mental ability loss (memory, speech, logical thinking). The main symptoms of increase in Alzheimer's disease arise after the age of 65. It is the fact the rate of people suffering from this disease is no too much but still is the essential reason of elderly dementia. This disease brings psychological pressure among the family members (Perle, 2006, Pp. 805-807).

Symptoms of the Disease

People affected by this deterioration face more problems as compared to the people who are normal. On the other hand, these symptoms are not as severe as those who have the disease. It has said that the memory problems is the major sign of the very early stages of the disease. These results must be supported by other studies as they have shown promising results. Recent studies have found some links between movement problems and MCI. The researchers also have noted links between some problems with their sense of smell and cognitive problems. In this way, it can be said that there could be several symptoms of Alzheimer's disease as ...