Dementia and Caretaking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dementia and Caretaking - Essay casefulThese fears include the repetitive questions of going home seeking caretakers and this phenomenon is called Shadowing (Lindeman, Corby, Downing & Sanborn 1991)Alzheimer disease is one of the disorders cognise as dementia. Patient develops multiple cognitive deficits including memory injury. The diagnostic criterion along with memory loss must include one of the cognitive disturbances aphasia, apraxia, anoxia or a disturbance in executive go (DSM- IV 1994). Dementia may be progressive, static or remitting (DSM-IV 1994). Keeping in view of this record the AD should not be taken as process of inevitable and immutable decline. (Judkins,Wayne )Caretaking for the patient of AD is a long process which involves many people. In the early stages the family members are the initial help. But the later stages admit persistent care of the patient and he/she is shifted to adult daylight care centers. In adult day care centers safe and supportive environ ment is must for the patient of AD. It involves creating new mappings to replace the roles lost because of the disease. (e.g. provider for spouse, worker) In this environment patient crapper interact in the same cognitive state and can form meaningful attachments. (William & Roberts 1995). The group spirits should too be fostered in the day care centers to restore the patient feel that he/she is the desired member of the social group.Researchers in their recent studies have examined the role that the attachment style may play in dementia. It is observed that personality characteristics persist in dementia. For example, a person suffering from depression and aggressive fashion before the diagnosis of dementia have these tendencies aggregated by the course of disease. (Agbayewa, 1986) Bowlby defined attachment behavior as any form of behavior that results in a person attaining or retaining proximity to some other differentiated and preferred individuals, who is usually conceived as stronger and /or wiser. (John Bowlby, 1979, pp 129) Misen (1992) was the first researcher to conclude that the patient of dementia could also be classified as having furbish up or ambivalent style of attachment. The further studies proposed that various component of attachments i.e. trust, comfort with dependency became more authorised with higher level of dependency caused by dementia.The studies have also found that the effect of dysfunctional behavior as taken by caretakers was correlated with caretakers psychological distress. (Levesque. Cassette & LaChance, 1998) But it is observed that attachment therapy can also help the caretakers to overcome their psychological stress. The following quoted study is taken from the interview of Ann Hurley (Citation Trudeau S. Bright Eyes, A afferent Stimulation Intervention for Patients with Advanced Dementia An interview with Scott Trudeau, by AL Romer, Innovations in