Rationale and Justification for the Poster

The cognitive disorder of ‘Dementia’, implies a detrimental reduction in the mental capabilities of the concerned individual, pertaining to functioning outlining cognitive capacities, memory and storage of required information and the resultant detrimental impact upon skills outlining logical and reasoning tasks, required for the healthy functioning of everyday life (Gaugler et al., 2017). Dementia exhibits occurrences primarily in the geriatric population comprising of individuals aged beyond the age of 65 years, as a secondary response to severe cognitive disease implications such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s as well as several vascular conditions (Goodman et al., 2015).

The following paragraphs of the report highlight the salient features outlining the rationale and justification behind the preparation of the supplementary poster, along with brief discussions concerning the audience to be targeted for imparting knowledge concerning the same, and the required treatment objectives.

The following paragraphs highlight the rationale, justification and the required audience focussed upon for deliverance of the poster.

The prevalence of dementia in Australia, continues to showcase alarming trends of increase, posing as one of the major reasons for mortality amongst Australians. A major portion of males and females in Australia, as opined by the ‘Dementia Australia’, an organization focusing on provision of dementia care for the elderly, succumb to malfunctioning pertaining to dementia, amounting to over a population of over 16% (Standfield, Comans & Scuffham, 2018). There is hence a need for the provision of greater concerned towards the treatment pertaining to dementia, due to an estimated population contribution of over 250 Australians inflicted with the possibility of dementia every day. Further, the need for the hour is to impart greater and awareness amongst the general care practitioners as well as the required family members of the concerned patients inflicted from dementia, as evident from the present dearth of information and research conducted outlining the key features, signs and symptoms and treatment of dementia (Radford et al., 2015). Despite the efforts by the Dementia Australia Research Foundation attempting to encourage and provide capital for the purpose of research concerning the salient principles of dementia, which is based upon community contributions, the prevalence of lack of information and required knowledge is still prevalent amongst young students, potential nurses and novel researchers (Chenoweth, Cable & Pond, 2015).

Due to the debilitating cognitive conditions attained as a resultant factor due to the infliction of dementia, there is a loss in the functioning capacity of the concerned patient concerning the performance of activities pertaining to the daily life performance. Hence, familial duties where associated family members of the concerned patient uphold care and assistance responsibilities of the concerned patient, form the cornerstones of the treatment principles of dementia (van Wezel et al., 2016). However, an elaborate and extensive survey, was conducted by a emerging organization in Australia, Ipsos, known for its conductance of required marketing research. The survey aimed to assess the current knowledge pertaining to the signs and symptoms, along with the key treatment principles of dementia amongst the general population. The results of the survey exhibited alarming implications revealing a consequent lack of knowledge concerning the background information for dementia amongst Australians (Manthorpe & Iliffe, 2017). There is hence a further need for the provision of greater awareness and knowledge regarding the pathophysiology of dementia, the resultant signs and symptoms and the required treatment procedures for the same. Hence, generating enhanced public awareness forms the foundation principles behind the rationale of outlining information for dementia, which will be imparted effectively through the creation of the required visual aids. Along with the general population comprising primarily of the family members of the concerned patients, greater provision of dementia awareness and knowledge is also required amongst caretakers responsible for treatment of the same, further leading to enhanced care procedures, which is highly required amidst a backdrop of emerging dementia trends in Australia (Cahill et al., 2015).

Target Audience for the Poster

It is also worthwhile to mention that registered nurses as well as various assistants-nurses are concerned with the provision of conducting optimum treatment procedures and care plans for patients inflicted with dementia, for the assistance of their daily life activities. Hence, there is also a need for nurses to acquire sufficient information concerning dementia, for advancement of their care processes (Burns & Mcllfatrick, 2015). However, considering the geriatric principles outlining dementia, nurses are often observed to exhibit a lack of knowledge concerning the same, due to not being specialists in the gerontology (Surr et al., 2016).  Hence as per the rationale concerning the principles of this report, there is a need for greater awareness and dissemination of information amongst nurses appointed in clinical setups, concerning the disease outlines of dementia, resulting in greater treatment procedures.

The target audient for the concerned poster would be family members of the concerned patient, the care takers involved in the provision of residential care along with nurses involved in the treatment and care process of individuals involved in aged care. As observed form the survey, there is a lack of information amongst the general population concerning the pathophysiology and the required treatment of dementia (Manthorpe & Iliffe, 2017). Since, family members are the key individuals involved in the care process due to their presence at the immediate vicinity amidst the patient, the lack of information is a pressing cause for concern. Hence, the poster will aim at imparting education to the concerned familial population regarding the various signs and symptoms followed by adoption of required principles for risk reduction. As outlined in the poster, undertaking debilitating activities of social isolation along with adherence to a sedentary lifestyle are key risks leading to the aggravation of symptoms pertaining to the disease condition of dementia (Kitagawa et al., 2016). Hence, as opined in the poster, family members can be informed about necessary information, where they can encourage the concerned patient to engage in healthy social relationships along with partaking in required physical activities. Cardiovascular disorders also form a key risk dementia patient, and the concerned family members can strive to encourage the patient to engage healthy dietary and lifestyle habits, along with eradication of harmful behaviours such as smoking (Rosenberg et al., 2018).

An additional target audience concerning the imparting of knowledge regarding dementia could be nurses who are involved in aged care of elderly patients inflicted with dementia. As outlined in the poster, the concerned nurses like the family members, can also be involved in reducing the risks, by engaging in empathetic conversation with the patients, along with encourage them to engage in required social relationships, fulfilling dietary and lifestyle habits and avoidance to socially isolate themselves from general communication. The nurse can further engage in several intervention strategies for the purpose of mitigating of symptoms outlining dementia (Pulseford, Duxbury & Carter 2016). As outlined in the poster, the nurse should engage in empathetic conversation with the patient, along with involvement of the concerned family in the treatment process. The nurse should also engage in counselling in order to effectively alleviate the psychosocial symptoms of the concerned patient. The prevalence of falls amongst the elderly is also an emerging trend, with high susceptibility amongst patients suffering from dementia due to their loss in logic and reasoning concerning spatial aspects of surroundings and resultant loss in cognition (Booth et al., 2016). Hence, as outlined in the poster, one of the key intervention strategies to be undertaken by nurses would be the assisting in the mobility of the patient, and preventing the occurrences of falls amongst the same. Concerning the importance of antioxidants and maintenance of optimum heart health for the purpose of mitigation of symptoms, nurses involved in care of the dementia patient, should also aim to ensure adherence to sufficient dietary principles (Morris, 2016). In addition the concerned nurse, can also aid in provision of sufficient lighting and hand rails for the purpose of support for the dementia patient, along with assessment and evaluation of patient, as mentioned in the required poster (Lach, Harrison & Phongphanngam, 2016).

Imparting Knowledge and Mitigating Symptoms of Dementia

In addition, the target audience of the concerned poster would also be care takers involved in home treatment of the patient, who can follow the above principles as mentioned in the poster, followed by administration of the required drug treatments as the intervention strategies for dementia.

Conclusion

Hence, as outlined by the previous paragraphs mentioned in the concerned justification, it can be concluded that there is hence a need for greater awareness and imparting of information concerning the disease principles, signs and symptoms, the various negative health implications pertaining to the mental disease condition of dementia. The need of the hour is to further work towards provision of increased and more dedicated treatment pertaining to the disease condition of dementia, for which the acquisition of key disease information is of utmost requirement. Nurses involved in aged care, care takes and in house nurses appointed for residential based conventional treatment procedures, along with the family member of the concerned patient, form the salient collaborative workforce pertaining to the care and treatment of the individual suffering from dementia. Concerning the emerging trends of dementia affliction followed by the lack of knowledge pertaining to the same amongst the individuals involved in the treatment plan, there is hence an immediate need for the greater provision of awareness and information regarding dementia, as will be conducted by the successful deliverance of the concerned poster.

References

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Burns, M., & McIlfatrick, S. (2015). Palliative care in dementia: literature review of nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards pain assessment. International journal of palliative nursing, 21(8), 400-407.

Cahill, S., Pierce, M., Werner, P., Darley, A., & Bobersky, A. (2015). A systematic review of the public’s knowledge and understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders, 29(3), 255-275.

Chenoweth, L., Kable, A., & Pond, D. (2015). Research in hospital discharge procedures addresses gaps in care continuity in the community, but leaves gaping holes for people with dementia: A review of the literature. Australasian journal on ageing, 34(1), 9-14.

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Goodman, R. A., Lochner, K. A., Thambisetty, M., Wingo, T. S., Posner, S. F., & Ling, S. M. (2017). Prevalence of dementia subtypes in United States Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, 2011–2013. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 13(1), 28-37.

Kitagawa, K., Miwa, K., Okazaki, S., Sakaguchi, M., & Mochizuki, H. (2016). Serum high?molecular?weight adiponectin level and incident dementia in patients with vascular risk factors. European journal of neurology, 23(3), 641-647.

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Morris, M. C. (2016). Nutrition and risk of dementia: overview and methodological issues. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1367(1), 31-37.

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Radford, K., Mack, H. A., Draper, B., Chalkley, S., Daylight, G., Cumming, R., … & Broe, G. A. (2015). Prevalence of dementia in urban and regional Aboriginal Australians. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 11(3), 271-279.

Rosenberg, A., Ngandu, T., Rusanen, M., Antikainen, R., Bäckman, L., Havulinna, S., … & Lindström, J. (2018). Multidomain lifestyle intervention benefits a large elderly population at risk for cognitive decline and dementia regardless of baseline characteristics: The FINGER trial. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 14(3), 263-270.

Standfield, L. B., Comans, T., & Scuffham, P. (2018). A simulation of dementia epidemiology and resource use in Australia. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 42(3), 291-295.

Surr, C. A., Smith, S. J., Crossland, J., & Robins, J. (2016). Impact of a person-centred dementia care training programme on hospital staff attitudes, role efficacy and perceptions of caring for people with dementia: A repeated measures study. International journal of nursing studies, 53, 144-151.

van Wezel, N., Francke, A. L., Kayan-Acun, E., LJM Devillé, W., van Grondelle, N. J., & Blom, M. M. (2016). Family care for immigrants with dementia: The perspectives of female family carers living in the Netherlands. Dementia, 15(1), 69-84.