Dementia: Knowledge and Understanding of illness and care challenging for Psychiatric Nursing

Abstract

Currently, Thai society has entered an "Aging Society," which has rapidly increased the elderly population. As a result, as people age, their bodies weaken and suffer from more illnesses and deterioration. Dementia, in particular, is a common illness with an increasing prevalence.  Dementia is a syndrome caused by deterioration of brain function, impaired memory, language expression and comprehension, cognitive and decision-making skills, activity engagement, and changes in personality affecting working efficiency or daily life. Caring for people with dementia is, therefore, a challenge for psychiatric nurses. This is a challenge because psychiatric nurses must provide nursing care for people with dementia who have complex behavioral and emotional problems. Therefore, if the psychiatric nurse already has knowledge and understanding of the condition of the disease, it will result in more efficient nursing practice, including the skills to care for people with dementia holistically. Caring for people with dementia is challenging for psychiatric nurses to provide comprehensive care following the nursing process, including health promotion, prevention, nursing care, and rehabilitation. Therefore, psychiatric nurses have knowledge of and understanding of dementia. Therefore, it will assist in nursing planning and providing accurate and appropriate nursing care according to the progression of dementia.

This article aims to provide psychiatric nurses with the knowledge obtained from the review of the literature on biological characteristics, genetic factors, etiology, disease progression, prognosis, and treatment. The condition of the disease is complex, so it is a challenge, and the role of a psychiatric nurse is to apply this knowledge as a guideline for caring for and helping people with dementia to have a better quality of life.