The Elderly and Dementia

The Aging Population and Dementia Introduction Dementia is generally defined as a problem that impacts the elderly population and includes “impairments in cognitive and intellectual ability, memory, language, reasoning, and judgment that interfere with everyday functioning” (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2014). The two leading types of dementia in the world are Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia (Livingston et al., 2017). Dementia is a problem for the elderly population because it is so prevalent and still somewhat poorly understood. As Jayadev et al.

(2010) point out, the cause of the disease is still relatively unknown, which makes treating it difficult for care providers. An average of 25 million elderly people suffer from some form of dementia in developed nations—and that number is double in developing nations (Livingston et al., 2017). The best that care providers can hope for in this situation is to treat it by using preventive care interventions, such as environmental interventions.

The study by Jensen and Padilla (2017) focuses on patient-centered care approaches to help reduce the number of problematic behaviors demonstrated by elderly patients with dementia. This paper will provide background information on the problem of dementia and analyze the study by Jensen and Padilla (2017). Background The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s, and approximately 60% to 80% of all cases of dementia are categorized as Alzheimer’s.

10% of elderly persons over the age of 65 suffer from the symptoms of dementia and 30% of persons over the age of 85 suffer from it (Ministry of Health, 2018). Dementia negatives impacts the person’s memory and mental functioning, making it difficult for the elderly person to remember once familiar persons and places. Those who suffer from dementia are often confused, frustrated, and can became violently angry. Risks associated with the onset of dementia include lifestyle choices such as smoking, not getting enough exercise, poor diet, and so on (Ministry of Health, 2018).

Dementia impacts both the aging population and the their loved ones (typically their children as the children are usually the ones tasked with coping with their parents’ disease and attempting to care for them on a regular basis). Frustration can occur for both the elderly and their children, friends and loved ones. As this disease can impact between 1-3 out of every 10 aged persons, it important that it be understood and that effective treatments be developed.

The disease is a significant concern for the elderly population as it is so prevalent. The World Health Organization estimates that 47 million people in the world have dementia and that the problem is getting worse: it is estimated that by 2030, 75 million people may have it (WHO, 2017). An estimated 5.7 million Americans currently suffer from a form of dementia (Alzheimer’s Association, 2018). The Study by Jensen and Padilla The study conducted by Jensen and Padilla was a systematic review that included both qualitative and quantitative studies in its review.

The methods section of the study described precisely what type of studies were included, the number, and described the results of these studies as well. Because both qualitative and quantitative figures were discussed in the systematic review by Jensen and Padilla (2017), it could be described as a mixed-methods based study. However, the researchers did not conduct any statistical analysis and the discussion primarily centered on qualitative features so the study overall could best be described as qualitative.

The researchers themselves stated in the methods section that “given the heterogeneity of the included studies, we used a qualitative approach to data synthesis” (Jensen & Padilla, 2017, p. 3). The studies used in the systematic review were assessed thematically rather than statistically, which makes their study qualitative. The research design was that of the systematic review—a literature review of relevant studies regarding person-centered approaches to treating elderly patients suffering from dementia.

The purpose of the study was “to appraise the effectiveness of environmentbased interventions that address behavior, perception, and falls in people with AD and related major NCDs” (Jensen & Padilla, 2017, p. 2). The researchers conducted a search of peer-reviewed articles on MEDLINE, PsychINFO, CINAHL and OTseeker. The search resulted in 1,854 sources, of which 154 were reviewed for the study based on inclusion criteria. The evidence was assessed thematically.

Jensen and Padilla (2017) note that “studies were examined for similarities across participants, settings, interventions, and outcomes and were grouped into themes” (p. 3). The researchers examined level 1 studies, level 2 studies and level 3 studies, including other systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials.

They identified the following types of intervention approaches: · Unimodal sensory interventions · Multisensory interventions · Functional task object availability · Specialized environments · Person-centered interventions The researchers discussed the evidence thematically, noting that “strong evidence supports the use of ambient music other than at mealtimes; multisensory interventions; private, personalized rooms; varied ambiance in common rooms; and orienting room objects for clients who live in institutional settings” (Jensen & Padilla, 2017, p. 6).

The researchers also found that the evidence from the 154 reviewed studies indicated that the nighttime monitoring systems could help to reduce falls and prevent patients suffering from dementia to begin wandering. This finding, however, was only supported in home care cases and not in institution cases. The researchers also discussed the limitations of their study by acknowledging that many of the studies that they reviewed consisted of small sample sizes which could make them unreliable and invalid in terms of externality.

They also pointed out that these studies typically had “diagnostically heterogeneous populations (both in type and stage of dementia), and possible gender bias, with the majority of participants being women” (Jensen & Padilla, 2017, p. 7). The evidence is used by Jensen and Padilla (2017) to develop a conclusion that could benefit care providers in their approach to treating patients suffering from dementia.

The researchers conclude that environmental approaches can help care providers to effectively treat patients with dementia because the environment is most often the most problematic trigger for elderly patients. They need to be surrounded by images and items that they will remember or recall so that they can feel that they are in a place that is familiar to them.

For that reason, the researchers suggest that the more that care providers get to know the patients and the things or images they most recognize, the more they will be able to reduce the occurrence of negative patterns of behavior that can be upsetting for both the patient and for loved ones. The researchers also use the evidence to identify the best methods of interventions that can be used “to address behavior, perception, and falls” (Jensen & Padilla, 2017, p. 7).

The aim of the study was to highlight the measures that other researchers had identified as effective in the past and to gather this evidence into a single review to make the information more accessible for care providers. The researchers succeeded in this task because they clearly described the methodology they used, meaning it could be duplicated by other researchers in the future to verify the study.

However, the limitations of the systematic review do indicate that the information presented may not be wholly reliable because of the matter of too insignificant of sizes of samples used in the literature reviewed. Conclusion In conclusion, dementia is a problem.