J. Keady, THE EXPERIENCE OF DEMENTIA - A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE, Journal of clinical nursing, 5(5), 1996, pp. 275-288
This paper explores the early experience of dementia when the veil of
uncertainty that surrounds the diagnosis, of this condition is lifted.
Consideration will also be given to the impact of dementia on carers
and the service demands that are created. In the UK alone there are es
timated to be 636 000 people living with dementia, with this figure ri
sing to just under 900 000 by the year 2021. In the USA the projected
number of people with Alzheimer's disease is expected to be 9 000 000
by the year 2040 Despite a wealth of social and gerontological researc
h on the impact of dementia upon family carers, service responses and
policy initiatives are fragmented because dementia is excluded from so
me important recent initiatives, such as the Mental Health Task Force.
Current services and interventions focus predominantly on the later s
tages of dementia, when a meaningful perspective of the person with de
mentia is difficult to obtain. Nursing has a relatively long history o
f caring for people with dementia and their family carers. The paper w
ill also consider the contribution of nursing and nursing research to
the field and explore additional avenues for service intervention and
education.