When a person with dementia needs to be hospitalised, things are very very complex. Hospitals, nursing departments are not geared towards managing the special needs of a person with dementia. Caregivers find that they have to reiterate special instructions to staff, and that there very little adjustment made to the different perceptions of reality that dementia brings.
The person with dementia may not be able to remember what they ate for lunch, or what the date is or describe their symptoms, yet medical professionals insist on collecting case history and symptoms from them, and giving them instructions. Caregivers and family members who have gone through this describe these incidents and the problems that they cause.
An article from The Guardian describes the care level for people with dementia in hospitals in England as ‘poor’ and discusses these issues. Persons with dementia may go without food, or remain in pain because they cannot communicate their needs. Staff may not understand the patients needs or changes in behaviour which indicated their needs or identify the presence of pain. Information was not shared between services, leading to the needs of the person not being met.
Medical and hospital services in India are still treating persons with dementia in the same fashion as they treat other patients. Other countries do have specialised medical and care services for people with dementia and their families. We have a long way to go to make these services dementia friendly.
The person with dementia may not be able to remember what they ate for lunch, or what the date is or describe their symptoms, yet medical professionals insist on collecting case history and symptoms from them, and giving them instructions. Caregivers and family members who have gone through this describe these incidents and the problems that they cause.
An article from The Guardian describes the care level for people with dementia in hospitals in England as ‘poor’ and discusses these issues. Persons with dementia may go without food, or remain in pain because they cannot communicate their needs. Staff may not understand the patients needs or changes in behaviour which indicated their needs or identify the presence of pain. Information was not shared between services, leading to the needs of the person not being met.
Medical and hospital services in India are still treating persons with dementia in the same fashion as they treat other patients. Other countries do have specialised medical and care services for people with dementia and their families. We have a long way to go to make these services dementia friendly.
