How to Conduct Assessment in Elderly Patients with Dementia

Nursing Care Plan for Elderly Patients with Dementia

Assessment

Dementia is a condition in which a person experiences a decrease in the ability of memory and thinking without any decline in cognitive function. Based on several studies, data showed that dementia often occurs in the elderly over the age of 60 years.

Signs and symptoms

• Difficulty in carrying out daily activities.
• Forgetful.
• Often repeat the words.
• Do not know the dimensions of time, for example to sleep in the dining room.
• Quick-tempered and difficult to set up.
• Memory loss.
• difficulty learning and remembering new information.
• lack of concentration.
• lack of personal hygiene.
• Prone to accidents: falls.
• Easily aroused.
• Tremor.
• Lack of coordination of movement.

How to Conduct Assessment in Elderly Patients with Dementia

Build a trusting relationship with elderly clients.

To conduct a assessment in the elderly with dementia, should first build a trusting relationship with elderly patients.

To be able to build a trusting relationship, can do the following things:

1. Always saying hello to the patient such as: good morning / afternoon / evening / night or in accordance with the religious context of the patient.
2. Introduce your name (nickname), including convey that you are a nurse who will care for the patient.
3. Ask also the patient's name and nickname favorite.
4. Describe the purpose of caring for the patient's relatives and the activities to be carried out.
5. Explain when the activity will be carried out and how long the activity.
6. Be empathetic, by:
   • Sit down with a client, make eye contact, give a touch and shows attention.
   • Talk slow, simple and give clients time to think and answer.
   • Nurses have the expectation that clients will be better.
   • Being warm, simple will express the hope on the client.
7. Use short sentences, clear, simple and easy to understand.
   
8. Talk slow, say the word or sentence that is clear and if asked wait for the response of the patient.
   
9. Asked one question whenever asked and repeated the question with the same words.
   
10. Volume increased if there is a hearing loss, if the volume is increased, the tone must be lowered.
    
11. Verbal communication attitude, accompanied by a good non-verbal.
    
12. Attitudes must communicate face to face, maintain eye contact, relaxed and open.
    
13. Create a therapeutic environment when communicating with clients:
    • Do not noisy or rambunctious
    • The room is comfortable, light and sufficient ventilation.
    • Distance adjusted, to minimize disruption.

Assess Elderly Patients with Dementia

To assess elderly patients with dementia, you can use the technique to observe the behavior of patients and interviews directly to patients and families. Observations are you doing mainly to assess its objective of dementia. When observing the behavior of the patient for signs such as:

• Lack of concentration.
• Lack of personal hygiene.
• Prone to accidents: falls.
• Do not know the time, place and person.
• Tremor.
• Less coordinated motion.
• The activities are limited.
• Often repeat the words.

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