7 hours ago · The RCTs included adult patients (N=1161) with a specified stage of dementia. If the stage of dementia was not specified, then a mean Mini‐Mental State Examination score of … >> Go To The Portal
Psychosocial aspects of dementia The psychosocial elements of dementia range from the emotional responses seen in the person with a dementing illness to the broad societal questions of financing long-term care for the cognitively impaired elderly. The author outlines a number of current psychosocial dilemmas posed by the dementias …
This article presents evidence for the efficacy of psychosocial interventions for people with dementia and their carers. The evidence base is not yet robust enough to clearly suggest which interventions are most suited for which environment.
There are various models of post-diagnostic support for carers, but most are psychoeducational in nature, providing support for 6–8 sessions. Research by Whitlatch and colleagues (2005) demonstrate that people in the early stages of dementia are often as aware of the practical implications and problems as caregivers.
Reactions to, and readiness for, a diagnosis may vary between individuals and between the individuals with dementia and their family/carers. Individuals with dementia and their families/carers may struggle to preserve a pre-dementia identity whilst also adapting to a diagnosis and assimilating the disease into a new identity.
Highlights. Risk factors related to dementia include psychosocial ones. Depression, social isolation, and loneliness are risk factors related to dementia. Stress and anxiety, and sleep quantity/quality are risk factors related to dementia.
Psychosocial interventions improve cognitive abilities (cognitive stimulation, cognitive training), enhance emotional well-being (activity planning, reminiscence), reduce behavioral symptoms (aromatherapy, music therapy) and promote everyday functioning (occupational therapy).
Symptom control.Maintaining dignity and self-esteem.Preventing abandonment and isolation.Providing a comfortable and peaceful environment.Therapeutic Communication.Promote spiritual comfort.
Social interaction is healthy, like exercise for the brain, and can slow symptoms including deteriorating memory. In fact, staying socially engaged with friends and family has been shown to boost self-esteem, which for people with dementia means better eating habits, more exercise, and better sleep.
Aromatherapy and reminiscence therapy (RT) were the most effective psychosocial interventions for improving quality of life (QoL) in patients with moderate to severe dementia, according to results of a systemic review published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
InterventionsPharmacological (Drug-Interventions) ... Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) ... Reminiscence Therapy. ... Validation Therapy. ... Reality Orientation. ... Physical Exercise. ... Multisensory Stimulation: Snoezelen Rooms. ... Aromatherapy.
A psychosocial assessment in social work is a complete comprehensive evaluation of the emotional, mental, and physical health of a person. It also includes the person's perception of themselves and their ability to function in the community.
Psychosocial factors included social resources (social integration and emotional support), psychological resources (perceived control, self-esteem, sense of coherence, and trust), and psychological risk factors (cynicism, vital exhaustion, hopelessness, and depressiveness).
According to the Oxford dictionary, psychosocial means the interrelation of social factors and individual thought and behaviors. Therefore, psychosocial needs of the elderly involve mental, social and physical needs among the aged.
Key themes, derived from interviews: the need for emotional support; the need to maintain autonomy and independence; the need for dignified attitude; the need to participate in decision making and control their lives; the need to preserve the sense of identity; the need to engage in meaningful activities.
Social impacts may include a reduction in work hours or loss of employment, loss of relationships, time with friends and families and social activities, or the need to relocate or change living arrangements in order to provide care.
Dementia is a psychological disorder.
Psychosocial Treatments (Interventions) are designed to enhance a patient’s cognitive abilities in relation to their social environment. As the patient undergoes Psychosocial therapy, he/she begins to feel a stronger connection with themselves and the world around them. They become calmer and happier. [2]
Naomi Feil, an American Gerontologist came up with the concept of Validation therapy in 1963. This non-medical treatment method is designed to help the elderly with dementia communicate without feeling judged or ignored.
The primary purpose of psychosocial treatment is to slow down the rate of cognitive decline in dementia-affected folks. Before adopting a treatment method, you want to keep your expectations in check. Please don’t expect miracles.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, offer an appropriate assessment of severity and progression, and provide effective care and support for people with dementia and their carers from pre-diagnosis to end of life care, it is vital to integrate multiple perspectives, including a psychological perspective. A process of individualised assessment leads to an understanding of the complex interplay of factors affecting the extent to which each individual is able to live well with dementia, and guides the provision of person-centred care throughout the dementia journey.
As lifestyle factors contribute significantly to the risk of developing dementia a psychological approach is needed to enable people to make sustainable changes in behaviour and adopt healthier lifestyles.
The needs of people with dementia are best met when all services work closely together, alongside other community resources, to deliver integrated care. Psychologists are key contributors to this process. Through their detailed understanding of cognition, behaviour, emotions and social interactions, psychologists offer expertise in many aspects of dementia diagnosis, care and management, as well as prevention and risk reduction. Psychologists from a range of backgrounds and with varying types of expertise contribute to providing effective services and care. Practitioner psychologists are trained to doctoral level and may progress to consultant level, and a continuing commitment to training sufficient numbers of practitioner psychologists is vital. The largest group of practitioner psychologists involved in dementia care are clinical psychologists who work as part of multi-disciplinary teams in memory clinics, services for older people or other specialist services, but psychologists from a range of specialisms also play a vital role. Amongst these are clinical neuropsychologists, health psychologists and counselling psychologists. The nature of practitioner psychologists’ training enables them to play a key role in undertaking detailed psychological assessments and interventions, training and supporting other staff groups, evaluating service provision and overseeing the provision of good psychological care.
For the person affected by dementia, becoming aware of significant changes in memory or everyday ability creates a psychological dilemma about whether or not to seek help. Making the decision to acknowledge one’s difficulties and to seek help can be a frightening experience, exacerbated by the stigma surrounding dementia in the wider community. While opting to carry on as if nothing has changed may enable the person to avoid some of the emotional distress, it can also lead to increased conflict with family members and increased levels of stress. It is vital that health professionals are sensitive to the psychological impact of what people are experiencing, whilst providing an accurate and timely assessment.
There are many conditions associated with dementia, but 89 per cent of these fall into three main categories: Alzheimer’s disease (62 per cent), vascular dem entia (17 per cent), and mixed Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia (10 per cent)2. Rarer types of dementia include Lewy body dementia (4 per cent), fronto-temporal dementia (2 per cent) and Parkinson’s dementia (2 per cent), with over 100 other diagnoses accounting for the remaining 3 per cent of cases. It is estimated that there were 773,502 people aged over 65 with dementia in the UK in 2014, representing 7.1 per cent of the 65+ population. This is thought to include about 15,000 people from black or minority ethnic groups. While dementia primarily occurs in people aged over 65, and prevalence increases with age, dementia can also affect people of working age. There were thought to be 42,325 people with young-onset dementia (starting under the age of 65 years) in the UK in 20132. People with learning disabilities may experience dementia at a relatively young age; for people with Down’s syndrome, where there is a genetic link to Alzheimer’s disease, the average age of onset is 55 years. There is currently no medical treatment that can tackle the cause of the cognitive decline, and no cure for any form of dementia. The main pharmacological treatments currently available for symptoms of dementia have limited benefits and are suitable for only a proportion of those diagnosed13.
Although dementia results from physical changes in the brain, the effects of dementia are primarily psychological in nature, as they involve progressive changes in mental (or ‘cognitive’) functions such as memory, language, attention, concentration, visual perception, planning and problem-solving. Sometimes these changes are also associated with movement-related difficulties, such as trouble with reaching, walking or swallowing. The result of these changes is to reduce the person’s practical ability to manage everyday activities. This often occurs at a time in life when people are also experiencing other changes in health, lifestyle and social engagement.
Most people who are diagnosed with dementia experience symptoms late in life, where the individual risk of developing the condition is related to a complex range of factors including genes, environment and lifestyle. Some rare forms of dementia occur at an earlier age, and these are more strongly genetically-linked.