Essay Sample on Dementia: A Global Mental Health Crisis in Elderly Patients

Introduction

Mental health is quickly becoming a global issue as more people are being diagnosed with various types of mental ailments. Among the mental health issues that are drastically rising is dementia; more so, in elderly patients above the age of 65, with a report by the World Health Organisation indicating that prompt measures need to be put in place to improve the service delivery of mental health. Dementia has been categorised among one of the major causes of disability in elderly people and it is the leading cause of disability for those above the age of 65. It is estimated that the number of elderly persons will double by the year 2050 (Age UK, 2017) and based on this figure, it is expected that the number of mental health cases in the world, and most especially in the United Kingdom, will rise as well.

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It is approximated that there are more than 45 million individuals in the world living with dementia and more than 10 million new cases are being reported on a daily basis (WHO, 2017). Patients with dementia are often associated with symptoms of forgetfulness and inability to perform daily tasks which gradually becomes worse as the disease progresses (Alzheimer's Society, 2017). It is for this reason that countries such as the UK are making heavy investments in providing the best care for elderly patients with dementia (NHS England, 2014), with particular emphasis on reducing the mortality rates associated with mental illness.

These findings and statistics call for an urgent need for innovations within the healthcare and service delivery industry in ensuring that patients suffering from mental ailments such as dementia get the care that they need. This paper is based on an assessment that the researcher did during their placement at Chesterfield (Derbyshire), where the study analysed the conditions at which patients suffering from dementia are exposed to as well as the nature of the care they received from their caregivers. This paper will further discuss issues facing the Chesterfield community on the various initiatives, strategies, and services implemented both at the national and local area with regard to dementia. The findings of this study will ultimately make critical comparisons on the nearby geographical communities in the greater United Kingdom in analysing the nature of healthcare provision and delivery to dementia patients.

Community Profiling

Community profiling, also known as community or health needs assessment, is a systematic method that is used in research to reviews health issues facing a specific population (Cavanagh & Chadwick, 2015, p. 4). The conclusions from these reviews are then used in formulating agreed priorities and resource allocation in that specific population, resulting in health improvements and the reduction of inequalities. A community profiling is essential as it provides leaders within a community or population with a glimpse of local policy systems as well as environmental change strategies critical in improving their areas of weakness (CDC, 2013, p. 6). In this research paper, community profiling is based on the study area of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, where local policies on dementia will be analysed. The aim of this community profiling is to strategize on the best course for action that will result in the improvement of the health of dementia patients in the study area.

A health needs assessment (HNA) can help improve the quality of policy or program decisions regarding dementia in Derbyshire, as well as in the entire country. The results derived from the assessment are used as a guide in subsequent decisions, such as areas to improve in the healthcare provision in Derbyshire. For example, the assessment could bring to the conclusion that there are not enough caregivers for dementia patients or certain medicines should be improved for better results. The process of profiling often involves identifying resources endowed to a particular community. An important aspect of this process is that it must be inclusive, whereby the community actively participates in the profiling exercise (Heyman, 2010). The significance of NHA to the general practice of medicine and in healthcare is dependent on the contribution it can give in improving the quality of data, which can only be achieved through direct contact and collaboration with the community in question (in this case, Derbyshire).

The core reason for conducting an NHA is to facilitate the development of an action plan that is geared towards the improvement of the quality of life of people within a certain geographical region. In this case and point, community profiling should be carried out on the Derbyshire community to identify their ability to care for dementia patients and implement healthcare projects to support the patients and also their caregivers in the community. The NHA will be aligned with the study's aims and objective, which is to analyse issues facing the Derbyshire community on the various initiatives, strategies, and services implemented both at the national and local area with regard to the care needs of dementia patients.

In addition to developing a suitable action plan by involving the community and engaging in public-patient participation, the NHA is also crucial in improving patient care and the better use of resources as well as improving communication with other healthcare related agencies and the public. Community profiling, therefore, has a far-reaching depiction of the essential areas of a populace that describes itself as a network as well as the assets that exist inside that network (Jack & Holt, 2008). Community profiling is a crucial component in assessing the health needs of the population whereby health experts collect data from varying sources and analyse it to form a deep understanding of the status of healthcare service delivery in a community (NICE, 2011). The assessment report is then used in allocating resources and prioritization of projects in the city. Community profiling also facilitates the process of allocating health resources based on the health needs of the community (Jack & Holt, 2008). Needs appraisal should be done at the community level to recognize medical issues, and the efficient use of the facilities can enhance the quality of service delivery to mental health patients in Derbyshire. The data collected when profiling healthcare in communities is the most used source of data by government parastatals in policy making, by entrepreneurs in making investment decisions and by non-governmental organizations in developing funding proposals.

While conducting a successful community profiling, there are certain measures or steps which the researchers need to make. The first is to plan for the community assessment, where the researcher needs to identify and assemble a diverse team from the community (CDC, 2013). During the planning stage, it is essential to develop a team strategy and define the community where the assessment is to be done and on what topic, which in this case is dementia healthcare provision and delivery in Derbyshire. It is also crucial to develop questions to ask during the assessment as well as the number of sites to visit and key informants to reach out to during the assessment period.

The second step is to conduct the community needs assessment, which includes the collection of both primary and secondary data and statistics related to the study. Primary data can be collected directly from the participants through interviews and health surveys (North Carolina DHHS, 2014, p. 11 & 41). This stage is followed by analysis and interpretation of the collected data, the determination of health priorities, and finally, the development of community health action plans. The action plan will identify and prioritise the assets and needs of the Derbyshire community, develop and prioritize strategies for improvement, and create an action plan for top priority strategies.

Some of the challenges that could be encountered during the community needs assessment include factors such as use of jargons that the survey sample may not understand; difficulties in accessing the target population for surveys, discussions or interviews; as well as difficulties in translating analysed findings into effective and efficient health action plans (Cavanagh & Chadwick, 2015). However, proper planning can prove beneficial in addressing some of these challenges.

Key Issue: Healthcare provision and service delivery to Dementia patients in the UK

According to the World Health Organisation, Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia affecting sixty to seventy percent of dementia patients (WHO, 2019) and it is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among elderly people in the world, and more specifically in the United Kingdom. These conditions get worse with time since it is an irreversible malfunction of the brains cells leading to mental incapacitation (Department of Health, 2009). However, there are medical interventions offered by multidisciplinary teams of professionals to assist dementia patients to enjoy a quality life.

Figure 1. The Number of People with Dementia in the UK compared to other European Countries (Alzheimer's Society, 2014).

There is an urgent need by the government to create strong and reliable policies to cater for the increasing population of the aged in the society. The occurrence of Dementia has a number of effects on the patients including but not limited to the dwindling in cognitive ability for the victims, low behavioural as well as psychological functioning (Dening, 2015). In most cases, past brain damage and illnesses such as strokes usually create an increased occurrence of dementia to patients (Vijayan & Reddy, 2016). The effects of dementia are vast; however, the most common ones include memory loss, loss of oratory skills, low proficiency in communication and poor problem-solving skills (Krogsboll, Jorgensen, Larsen, & Gotzesche, 2012). Symptoms are often associated with complications such as but not limited to agitation, anxiety, delusion, low appetite, rampant hallucinations as well as delusions (Cerejeira, Lagarto, & Mukaetova-Ladinska, 2012).

The rising rate of dementia in older patients has attracted the government's attention, more so with the impact, the disease has on the social and economic life of the country. Studies have shown that dementia has an immense social, psychological, physical and economic impact on those with the condition as well as their families (WHO, 2015). In terms of being an economic impact, the rising cases imply that there is a need for more investment towards the care of dementia patients. According to NHS England, the total cost of dementia and its care in the UK is about PS26 billion each year (NHS England, 2019). Two-thirds of this total cost (PS17.4 billion) are catered for by individuals with dementia and their families (Alzheimer's Society, 2014), indicating the great economic burden the condition has on individual families and the government. NHS England further states that figure is expected to triple by the year 2040, and it will be much higher than the cost of cancer, heart disease, and stroke. From these statistics, it is; therefore,...