Nursing older people with dementia
2018-01-01 00:00:00JiangzhouChu
校園英語·月末 2018年5期
【Abstract】he demographic shows that the aging population in China is increasing and they are also living longer than before， which results in the fact that China has become an aging society. Those over sixty years old who get dementia account for 1% of the population and more than 40% of the population of elderly people get dementia when they over eighty-five years old.
【Key words】Aging; dementia; old people
I. The problems we have
1. Lack of professional staff
No one can escape aging since this is natural phenomenon， this problem relates to all of us. Maybe not all of us will get dementia， but you cannot guarantee that you will not. “People will not only need care， they will need good care”. In addition to the increasing population， lack of professional nursing staff working in the nursing homes also contributes to that problem. Most of the nursing students prefer to work in the hospital in order to acquire more nursing skills and work experience. Those registered nurses who have extensive experience are unwilling to take care of senior citizens because they believe it lacks challenges. According to the research， China need 13， 000， 000 staff working in the nursing home or care home. However， there are only 1000， 000 staff working there and the staff who are qualified with certificate are only 40， 000. which means we indeed demand professional nurse to join in the nursing home. So， this makes it difficult to find someone with professional skills to care for dementia residents， which makes the problem more serious.
2. Difficult to notice symptoms
Usually， people do not notice early symptoms of dementia， so the symptoms of dementia tend to change and become more severe if they ignore it. For this reason， it’s important to view a doctor frequently when starting forgetting things. People with dementia often behave differently as their condition progresses. They may start to behave in ways that are challenging and distressing， both for themselves and those around them.
However， diagnosing dementia is complex， particularly in the early stages. Assessment can include conversations with the person being diagnosed and those close to them， a physical examination， memory tests and/or brain scans. The Mini Mental State Examination is the most commonly used test for complaints of memory problems or when a diagnosis of dementia is being considered.
II. Discuss
As a nurse taking care of a dementia patient， the most important thing is to understand the behaviour and effectively communicate with the patient. The changes of each behaviour shows the clue to the nurse， so the nurse should deal with different behaviours using different ways. For example， If the behaviour is aggressive， back away， give the patient space. Then calmly approach him or her. Don’t argue， speak calmly and softly to the person. From the nursing literature 4the nurse’s role in care of old people has been seen to involve Promoting the physical and emotional health of older people. Helping them to maintain their independence. Providing effective treatments. Facilitating rehabilitation. Responding to more complex care needs. Arranging effective continuing health and palliative care.
In the future， our aim is to provide high quality nursing care to old people. Improvement in resident quality of life may be achieved by improved training and deployment of staff. Better resident–staff communication was related to higher quality of life as observed and reported by care providers5.
To sum up， taking care of old people is not a one-day job， which requires staff providing continuing health care. It is very normal that staff feeling tired when they work the whole day. So， we should understand staff and respect them. Understanding each other makes health care more effective and pleasant. However， nursing home is not the best choice for dementia patient.
References：
[1]Smith C，(2010)，researching older people’s nursing.Page ix.Published by Palgrave Macmillan.
[2]Politics.people.com.cn，(2015).Available at:http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2015/0129/c1026-26469598.html.
[3]Alzheimers Society，(2015).Diagnosing dementia - Alzheimer’s Society.Available at:http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200346.
[4]Royal College of Nursing Two Years On –Caring in Partnership: Older Savage，J.(1995)Nursing Staff Working Towards the Future.London:RCN
[5]Zimmerman，S.(2005).Dementia Care and Quality of Life in Assisted Living and Nursing Homes.The Gerontologist， 45(Supplement 1)，pp.133-146.
