Unit 4222-372 Equality Diversity And Inclusion In Research
Unit 4222-372 Equality, diversity and inclusion in dementia care practice
Outcome 1 Understand that each individual’s experience of dementia is unique
1. It is important to remember that people suffering from dementia do not lose their individuality and identity. They have life histories, families, beliefs and values, opinions, feelings, interests and hobbies. They may struggle to express themselves but this does not mean they don’t have something to say about their care. A good care worker will take a full history from the spouse or other carer in order to can find out as much as possible about the heritage of the dementia sufferer, so …show more content…
This should be done in the early stages of dementia preferably; there is no reason why people with mild to moderate dementia should not be included in the discussion. An end of life plan should cover such matters as where they want to die, whether they want to be resuscitated and at what stage they want to stop treatment to prolong life.
At present dementia patients often receive very poor treatment at the end of life; possibly for the reasons stated above, possibly because of attitudes among health professionals and carers. They may suffer pain and discomfort because of their inability to communicate or complain. They may be treated with a lack of dignity and respect because of their dementia.
However people with dementia have the same rights as everyone else when it comes to palliative care. They have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. The same standards for end of life care apply to them as much as to everyone else; namely that quality of life and quality of death is more important than prolonging life
Outcome 1 Understand that each individual’s experience of dementia is unique
1. It is important to remember that people suffering from dementia do not lose their individuality and identity. They have life histories, families, beliefs and values, opinions, feelings, interests and hobbies. They may struggle to express themselves but this does not mean they don’t have something to say about their care. A good care worker will take a full history from the spouse or other carer in order to can find out as much as possible about the heritage of the dementia sufferer, so …show more content…
This should be done in the early stages of dementia preferably; there is no reason why people with mild to moderate dementia should not be included in the discussion. An end of life plan should cover such matters as where they want to die, whether they want to be resuscitated and at what stage they want to stop treatment to prolong life.
At present dementia patients often receive very poor treatment at the end of life; possibly for the reasons stated above, possibly because of attitudes among health professionals and carers. They may suffer pain and discomfort because of their inability to communicate or complain. They may be treated with a lack of dignity and respect because of their dementia.
However people with dementia have the same rights as everyone else when it comes to palliative care. They have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. The same standards for end of life care apply to them as much as to everyone else; namely that quality of life and quality of death is more important than prolonging life