How the progression of dementia in elderly patients affect the family relationships of informal carers in the UK

analyze the effects of dementia on informal carers’ relationships with their loved ones. Understanding the demands placed on both the person with dementia and the person providing informal care is essential for meeting the needs of both parties. Many studies and institutions focus only on the needs of patients, rather than the needs of the informal carers. This study highlights the need and requirement of providing supplementary assistance to informal carers. The research analyzed and compared data from several sources in a systematic literature review to provide an answer to the question.

The findings indicated that in order to prevent strained relationships with their loved ones, carers need additional knowledge on how to manage the sickness and the stress brought on by the weight of the illness. We hypothesize that Assistive Technology might be useful for lowering healthcare costs by improving access to specialists in areas such as diagnosis, medication, and mental health treatment, as well as easing the burden on primary care physicians. Case managers may also keep track of patients and help family members all along the care pathway: they do this by collecting and sharing information with the different health professionals involved, in this specific instance the informal caregivers. In order to meet the needs of families dealing with dementia, further study is needed to determine whether certain teaching strategies for informal care providers could be optimal. Get your nursing assignment help today.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 4

References 5

Chapter 1: Introduction
Background

Dementia, as described by Duong et al. (2017), is a clinical illness characterized by gradual deterioration in cognitive abilities that eventually compromises an individual’s capacity to carry out daily tasks without assistance. Dementia makes people more reliant on others, both emotionally and physically, as pointed out by Cunningham et al. (2015). According to Gale et al. (2018), primary neurologic, medical, and neuropsychiatric disorders all contribute to the development of dementia. Neurodegenerative dementias like Alzheimer disease and Lewy body dementia are very frequent among the elderly. According to the latest data, there were around 850,000 persons living with dementia in the UK in 2019. It was 1 in every 14 adults over the age of 65 (Alzheimer society, 2020).

Introduction

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are similar in that they both cause a slow but steady decline in mental capacity. Dementia patients’ reliance on others for care grows as the disease progresses. As the frequency and intensity of symptoms rise, it becomes more difficult to go about everyday life and take part in social activities. Because of this, there may be instances when a person needs constant attention. Care may be required for a long time since the sickness itself might last for years (on average, seven) (Molsa et al., 1986).

Dementia rates are set to rise following the ageing of the world population (Zwaanswijk et al., 2013). However, the supply of medical experts is not likely to increase to cater for the needs of an ageing population. Dementia patients will, therefore, rely more and more on their informal carers which include relatives and friends. While a person with dementia is admitted to a long-term care facility, they will continue to get the same kind of care they had when they were living at home (Turcotte, 2013). When care is given regularly or for an extended length of time, the emotional and physical health of the carer may suffer (Turcotte, 2013). In particular, the length of time spent providing care before to a loved one’s admittance into a nursing home was the most significant predictor of how much less of a burden a loved one would feel thereafter. Caregiver sadness and patient behavioral change ratings were the most important factors in determining when and whether a person with dementia will be institutionalized (Yeh et al., 2002). Caregiving may seem more burdensome since it takes longer and there are more people who need it.

The stress of caring for someone with dementia is compounded by the fact that informal caregivers must adjust to the person’s condition and behavioral changes. Dementia is a degenerative disease with an uncertain course, which presents significant difficulties for informal carers. Caregivers reported a variety of losses at various levels of the family and utilized a wide range of strategies to deal with grief and keep the family unit functioning (Coelho et al., 2007). The majority of carers report receiving little to no informal assistance, are unfamiliar with official services, and struggle to anticipate their loved one’s care requirements. Caregiver reports of inadequate preparation to offer care. Therefore, it is crucial to provide assistance to informal carers so as to improve their quality of life and forestall severe caregiver stress. ‘Alzheimer meeting locations for patients and families’ are only one example of the many professional support services offered in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Western Europe for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease (Bos, 2008). Despite this, many informal carers’ support requirements go unfulfilled because they either cannot access the resources they need or believe that the professional care they get is not adequately tailored to their specific situation (Parveen, Peltier & Oyebode, 2017).