Abstracts by keywords: dementia
The Challenge of Dementia – Developing Care Structures for the Future According to Benjamin Gompertz's (1779-1865) law, a person's age increases linearly. However, the probability of developing a chronic illness, becoming dependent on care, or developing dementia increases exponentially over the course of life [Gompertz, 1825]. In our aging society, dealing with [...]
01.02.2010
Demographic change with an increase in the number of very old people, increasing public knowledge about dementia and increasing expectations of medical interventions from relatives and those affected will increase the demand for options for early diagnosis and therapy for memory impairments in old age. While currently a documented diagnosis only occurs in the 3rd year of dementia due to stigmatization, in the future an earlier diagnosis will probably occur in the 1st and 2nd year of the disease. In contrast to extensive further developments in the field of diagnostics, the therapeutic options are still limited. The increasing norm of living alone will often jeopardize the goal often expressed by older people of being able to provide care in their own home when dementia occurs in the future.
01.10.2009
More than 700,000 people already live in nursing homes; The use of inpatient care continues to increase. The few surveys about medical care in inpatient care facilities show a consistent picture. Due to the limited mobility of the residents, specialist medical care is very unsatisfactory; As a result, there are deficits in diagnostics and therapy. This is particularly true for people with dementia. In nursing homes, the rate of people suffering from dementia is around 65 %. Nevertheless, only a minority receive neurological/psychiatric care. The supply of anti-dementia drugs is inadequate. The low level of medical performance has several causes and does not correspond to society's aging image; It is also questionable from a health economic point of view. Several surveys and studies show, for example, the reduced care and nursing costs with simultaneous therapy with anti-dementia drugs (“Memantine”).
01.10.2009
Aging in familiar surroundings is a great need for most people. The transition to a residential care facility, on the other hand, is often experienced as very stressful and is associated with considerable financial costs for those affected, their relatives and social security systems. If people develop dementia, one in two people move permanently into a residential care facility within the first three years of the onset of the illness. Whether and when a move to a residential facility is carried out depends on numerous characteristics of those affected, their relatives and external conditions. For a German sample of older people with incident dementia, the absence of a spouse in particular was identified as a strong risk factor for a shorter time before moving to a residential facility. In addition to identifying further - possibly modifiable - factors influencing the institutionalization rates and times of dementia sufferers, the aim of future research efforts should also be the development of target group-specific interventions for certain risk groups in order to - if sensible - ensure longer or optimal care for dementia patients in the home environment to be able to move into a home facility at the right time.