Aging Population and Dementia: A Review of Environmental Interventions
This paper examines the growing problem of dementia among the elderly, including its prevalence, risk factors, and impact on patients and their families. It provides background on the two leading forms of dementia—Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia—before offering a detailed analysis of a systematic review conducted by Jensen and Padilla (2017). That review assessed the effectiveness of environment-based interventions targeting behavior, perception, and falls in patients with Alzheimer's disease and related neurocognitive disorders. The paper evaluates the study's qualitative methodology, thematic data synthesis, key findings, and identified limitations, concluding that environmental approaches show promise for care providers despite constraints related to sample size and population heterogeneity.
- Introduction: Defines dementia and introduces the central study
- Background on Dementia in the Elderly: Prevalence, risk factors, and global impact
- Overview of the Jensen and Padilla Study: Study type, purpose, and qualitative approach
- Research Design and Methodology: Search strategy, inclusion criteria, and databases
- Key Findings and Evidence: Intervention types and thematic evidence results
- Limitations of the Study: Sample size issues and population heterogeneity
- Conclusion: Summary of dementia burden and study contributions
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- Grounds the analysis in concrete prevalence statistics from multiple authoritative sources (WHO, Alzheimer's Association, Ministry of Health), giving the background section strong empirical weight.
- Accurately identifies the study's methodological character—correctly labeling it qualitative despite the inclusion of quantitative studies—and supports that classification with a direct quotation from the source.
- Balances summary with evaluation by addressing both the study's contributions and its limitations, demonstrating critical reading rather than passive description.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates systematic source analysis: it unpacks a published systematic review by examining its purpose, search strategy, inclusion criteria, thematic approach, and stated limitations rather than simply paraphrasing its conclusions. This layered engagement shows readers how to interrogate a secondary source at the methodological level, a skill central to undergraduate health and social science writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a clear four-part structure: an introduction that defines dementia and frames the central study; a background section establishing prevalence and risk factors; a multi-part body that walks through the Jensen and Padilla (2017) review's design, methodology, findings, and limitations; and a synthesizing conclusion. Each section builds on the previous one, moving from context to analysis to evaluation.
Introduction
Dementia is generally defined as a condition 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 disease and vascular dementia (Livingston et al., 2017). Dementia is a significant concern 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 remains 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 address it through preventive care interventions, such as environmental interventions. The study by Jensen and Padilla (2017) focuses on patient-centered care approaches designed to help reduce the number of problematic behaviors demonstrated by elderly patients with dementia. This paper provides background information on the problem of dementia and analyzes the study by Jensen and Padilla (2017).
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2015). Non-pharmacologic interventions for agitation and aggression in dementia. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/search-for-guides-reviews-and-reports/?productid=1999&pageaction=displayproduct
Alzheimer's Association. (2018). Facts and figures. Retrieved from https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures
Jayadev, S., Leverenz, J. B., Steinbart, E., Stahl, J., Klunk, W., Yu, C. E., & Bird, T. D. (2010). Alzheimer's disease phenotypes and genotypes associated with mutations in presenilin 2. Brain, 133(4), 1143–1154.
Jensen, L., & Padilla, R. (2017). Effectiveness of environment-based interventions that address behavior, perception, and falls in people with Alzheimer's disease and related major neurocognitive disorders: A systematic review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(5), 7105180030p1–7105180030p10.
Livingston, G., Sommerlad, A., Orgeta, V., Costafreda, S. G., Huntley, J., Ames, D., … & Cooper, C. (2017). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care. The Lancet, 390(10113), 2673–2734.
Ministry of Health. (2018). What is dementia? Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.il/English/Topics/SeniorHealth/DEMENTIA/Pages/Background.aspx
WHO. (2017). 10 facts on dementia. Retrieved from
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.