Dementia Disease

Dementia is a syndrome characterized by loss of memory, inability to think, and trouble making proper decisions. Dementia may affect body functions such as memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior. The types of dementia can occur in three different stages: mild, moderate, and severe (Leonard, 2021).

The disease mainly affects older people, but it is not a normal condition for ageing.

About 50 million people have dementia, and almost 10 million new patients have dementia. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia. About 60% to 70% of dementia

cases are AD patients.

Taking care of people with dementia is costly, and as a result, most patients cannot afford to stay in institutional centers. About 85% of people with dementia are home-based patients (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). In 2017, unpaid caregivers for people with dementia worked for about 17 billion hours. About two-thirds of the caregivers were women (Corbett 2012).  The caregivers who in home-based care meet all the needs and requirements for dementia patients.

Needs and Requirements for Dementia Patients

Significantly, dementia patients will always require ADL (Activities of Daily Living) assistance, such as grooming and eating, and instrumental activities of daily living assistance, such as meal preparation and shopping, as the situation progresses (Jhang et al., 2019). This is because dementia reduces an individual’s cognitive ability, making it hard for them to recognize primary duties that they need to perform, to enhance their development and sustainability. Furthermore, these patients also require medical and nursing care to aid in the management of existing medical conditions. Again, dementia patients require a well-organized environment that will enable free movement and prevent them from injuring themselves, especially when they fall (Erdal et al., 2017). To achieve this, caregivers can label some items within the house, making it easy for them to recognize these items when they come across them. Caregivers can also arrange furniture so that sharp objects, and other objects posing danger, are out of reach for these patients.

However, there is limited research that shows the experiences of people who have dementia. Studies that include people with dementia have a small size that includes only participants with mild or moderate symptoms (Power et al., 2016). Therefore, the group has not been able to articulate well about their needs and wants. However, some studies show that people with dementia want to maintain their personality and quality of life; they want to maintain their autonomy while attending to their daily tasks and making personal decisions (Alzheimer’s Association, 2008; Dawson et al., 2012).

There are three subgroups of people with dementia with specific needs: young-onset dementia, patients with dementia living alone, and individuals with intellectual and development abilities. Research shows that about 4% of the people living with dementia are the young onset

group below 65 years. People with young onset dementia may be hesitant to disclose their situation and may develop a feeling of loss, fear, and stigma (Greenwood & Smith, 2016; Harris & Keady, 2009). Additionally, young onset dementia may become severe and cause a loss of personal identity, and interfere with an individuals’ performance, including their job. As a result, patients end up becoming dependent on family members (Greenwood & Smith, 2016; Harris & Keady, 2009; Hunt, 2011). Also, people with young-onset dementia are at risk of isolating themselves because people may not understand their situation (Harris & Keady, 2009; Hunt, 2011).

The second group comprises of people with dementia and living alone. According to the

National Center on Elder Abuse (2015), people with dementia living alone risk self-neglect. Therefore, they may fail to perform basic self-care such as taking meals, clothing, shelter, and managing their physical and mental health. Also, other studies show that the individuals lack self-awareness (Lehmann et al., 2010; Wilkins et al., 2014).

The third group involves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and dementia. The group includes people who develop dementia above the age of 65. The groups also include people with Alzheimer’s disease. Also, a group in this setting, meet people or move to residential places to address their needs (Janicki, 2011; Jokinen et al., 201