Method
Participants
The ideal sample is 150 participants between the ages of 50-80 years old with both male and females equally represented, all of whom suffer from and have been diagnosed with Alzheimer 's disease, other forms of dementia, or Parkinson 's disease according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-5]. The selected participants will have volunteered for the study or were referred by physicians and caregivers, and come from multiple nursing homes. The probability sampling method, random sampling, will be used to ensure that the sample chosen represents the population and will be a method that will be easy to support and defend.
Research Design A multi-centered
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Mood will be operationalized by Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, scoring will range from 0 to 38 with higher scores indicating more severe depression. Quality of life will be operationalized by The World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire 100 (WHOQOL-100, or the Quality of Life-Alzheimer 's Disease assessment (QOL-AD) for those with Alzheimer 's disease. Scoring will be from 13 to 52; higher scores will suggest better quality of life. Geriatric disorders are operationally defined by the diagnoses of either dementia, Alzheimer 's disease, or Parkinson 's disease and The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). DMT is operationally defined by the one hour sessions of dance/movement therapy with a DMT licensed therapist. Since the experiment will be conducted in a more natural conditions, there will be a stronger external validity. However, a potential threat to external validity could arise through the generalizability of the study; if the study will have similar results throughout the geriatric disorder population. Internal validity could be threatened due to not being conducted in a laboratory, which loses the direct control of the participants. The participants could be doing other activities or factors that are contributing to the results, in which case it would be difficult to measure if DMT is solely the cause of the results shown in the participants. Potential confounding
With dementia, due to a significant delay between onset of disease and actual diagnosis, it is difficult to estimate the prevalence in populations, as the total number of people having the condition at a given time is not known. The most recent data on the prevalence of
In an effort to lessen the impact this has on the results of the study, the estimates from East Boston were applied to a high, middle, and low series interval of the population. The high, middle, and low series intervals are given to buffer the results of the study. The population may not grow at the rate at it is expected to so the high interval is given in case the population grows at a rate higher than expected, and the low interval in case the population grows at a slower rate than expected. This gives a broader set of results that may be more accurate. Though the results of this study are not exact, the trend that they show is correct and useful. With the baby boomer generation steadily reaching post-retirement age, more people are being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and the issue of their care becomes a concern to them and their families. This raises many questions: What is Alzheimer's disease? Is it different from senility or amnesia? What causes it? Does a person with Alzheimer's disease need special care? Can that care be provided for in the home, by family members? Is this a practical way to care for the patient2?
Dementia refers to a syndrome which results in deterioration in thinking, memory, behavior, and ability to execute everyday activities and duties. Despite the fact that the syndrome is mainly associated with the older people, it is not a normal aspect or part of ageing. One of the major causes of dementia is the aspect of Alzheimer's disease. This disease contributes to about 60 to 70 percent of the cases of dementia. Dementia possesses psychological, physical, economic, and social impacts in relation to the family, caregivers, and the entire society. Dementia affects each individual in a diverse or different way with reference to the impact of the disease and personality following the development of the syndrome (Gao et al, 2013 p. 447).
The term ‘dementia’ is used to describe a syndrome associated with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities. This includes problems with memory loss, thinking speed, mental agility, language, understanding, and judgment. People with dementia can become apathetic or uninterested in their usual activities, and have problems controlling their emotion. They also fine social situation challenging, lose interest in socialising and aspect of their personality may change. The majority of people who are diagnosed with dementia have either Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia, or a combination of the two. (Source 1) As the disease progresses, the person experiencing dementia becomes more vulnerable and their needs often complex; which requires appropriate care and management (Kitwood, 1997).this leads me to the next distinctive feature of patients with dementia.
Nearly 135 million people worldwide will be impacted by dementia by 2050 (Robinson, Tang, Taylor,. 2015). Dementia is not a disease, it is an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with the decline in memory and thinking skills. Dementia is a progressive illness that results in the loss of one’s sense of self (Burns, Byrne, Ballard, Holmes, 2002). The two most common forms of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular dementia. Dementia is progressive and people with dementia experience complications with short-term memory, keeping track of personal items, paying bills, taking care of themselves and daily tasks (Haigh, Mytton, 2016). Due to the rising number of individuals developing dementia, it is causing major challenges in the healthcare systems and society (Angermeter, Luck, Then, Riedel-Heller, 2016). Utilizing psychotropic medications are often ineffective or harmful to the individual, therefore, many patients decide to utilize sensory therapy as a form of treatment instead (Livingston, Kelly olmes, et al., 2014). Caregivers of individuals with dementia can also experience health consequences related to caregiving at the end of life. Spousal caregivers are 40.5% higher odds of experiencing frailty as a result of caregiving (Carr, Dassel, 2017). Dementia does not only affect the individual, it affects those around them, society, and the healthcare system.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia that generally initiates the lost memory, problem of critical thinking and behavior problems for the elderly patients. It’s not a normal part of aging but the large number of elderly people reached 65 and older are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The most common early symptoms are struggle in remembering recent events or short term memory. As the disease advance more symptoms begin to show up like problems in speaking and language, disorientation like getting lost and cease to remember the present activity that they are supposed to do. Mood swings go from happy to sad for no reason. Not managing their self, personal hygiene
More than 5 million Americans currently have dementia in the United States and this number is projected to rise to between 8 and 13 million by 2050 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). Dementia is known to become more prevalent with age, increasing from 5 to 10 percent in people over 65 years of age to almost one half of people over the age of 85 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). Although family members provide the majority of care for people with dementia, increasing needs over time often lead to placement in a long-term care setting. Dementia is the most common reason for entry into long-term care facilities (Zimmerman, 2013) and nearly 90% of persons with dementia will have at least one stay at a nursing home in their lifetime (Grunier, 2007).
The goals the National Social Advocacy Association for Alzheimer’s Patients is to collaborate with long term healthcare facilities in establishing an innovative, comprehensive social advocacy, intervention, and advance treatment programs in healthcare facilities serving or providing Alzheimer’s patients. One that will help stimulate the “Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous Systems sensory” nerves which will increase the cognitive and mobility functions in Alzheimer’s Patients Marieb, (2006). In addtiont to reducing caregiver’s burnouts, eliminate Alzheimer’s patients injuries due to neglect, increase caregiver’s social awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and its risks facts,
An estimated 47.5 million people suffer from dementia. Every 4 seconds one new case of dementia is diagnosed. Dementia is a term that describes certain symptoms such as impairment to memory, communication and thinking. It is a group of symptoms and not just one illness. Even though one‘s chance of getting dementia increase with age, it is not a part of aging. Dementia is usually diagnosed after a series of assessments that includes a physical evaluation, memory tests, imaging studies and blood work. It affects three aspects of one’s mental function, cognitive dysfunction (Problems with memory, language, thinking and problem solving), psychiatric behavior (changes in personality, emotional control, social behavior and delusions) and difficulties with daily living activities (driving, shopping, eating and dressing). “The median survival time in women is 4.6 years and in men 4.1 years” (Warren, 2016).
Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their
Patient living in the nursing homes with diagnosis of dementia experience Disruptive behavior. According to Burton et al. (2015) more than 44 million people have dementia. Dementia affects memory, thinking and social abilities. These symptoms severely interfere with daily functioning of the patient. Approximately 90% of dementia patients demonstrate psychological and behavioral symptoms such as anxiety, agitation, depression, hallucination, delusion, and aggression (Chen et al., 2014). Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are a varied group of non-cognitive symptoms affecting demented patients. These symptoms are delusion, hallucination, agitation, anxiety, euphoria, disinhibition, night-time behavioral disturbances
Alzheimer is a disease that affects the elderly most. The disease was discovered by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in the year 1906 when he was examining a female’s brain. He found out that the woman displayed memory loss, language problems and some inexplicable changes in behavior. The disease was named after the doctor who was a German psychiatrist and a neuropathologist. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to memory loss, personality changes, and language problems (Gilbert & Julie 2). The disease is mostly diagnosed in people over the age of 65 years, though there is a small minority of people under the age of 50 who get the disease. Studies show that 1% of a whole population aged between the ages 65-75 have severe
Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 out of every 8 people in the United States. It is a long and debilitating disease that affects every aspect of a person’s life from the way they preform daily tasks, to the physical and mental abilities that are diminishing. Along with the lifestyle changes that Alzheimer’s disease presents, it also affects one’s psychological perspective as well their view on what they can offer their family and society. There are some ways to maintain a level of independence with a disease of this magnitude but there are also factors in lifestyle choices that can make it worse. Alzheimer cannot be cured, it cannot be slowed, but there are ways to keep the effected person at a certain level of comfort, independence and safety
The research aims at determining the affect of dementia on the lives of individuals and how it impacts on their social interactions. The research will also identify the ways in which aging individuals can refrain themselves from falling prey to this disease. It will highlight some important information for caregivers who will better understand this disease and will know how to deal with people who have this disease. As we all
Participants were part of The 90+ Study, a population-based longitudinal study of aging and dementia among people aged 90 years and older. Participants were originally members of The Leisure World Cohort Study, an epidemiological health study established in the early 1980s of a retirement community in California (Laguna Woods). The cohort is mostly female, Caucasian, well educated, and upper-middle class. The 1,150 individuals alive and aged 90 and older as of January 1, 2003 were invited to participate and 950 participants had joined as of December 31, 2007.