OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND DEMENTIA

Occupational Therapy for Patients with Dementia

Abstract

Studies of occupational therapy showed improved quality of life of patients with dementia and their caregivers. The choice of non-drug treatments can help people with dementia to cope with the vagaries of daily life reducing, at the same time, the pressure on their caregivers. In a recent study, researchers show that occupational therapy can be an effective treatment against dementia. Occupational Therapist intervention in patients with dementia revolves around a fundamental goal, maintain and maximize functional independence in performing daily activities and performance of their roles. The objective of this paper is to understand the basic concept of Occupational Therapy for the treatment of an individual with Dementia.

Table of Contents

Introduction4

Evidence Based Practice4

The Role of the Occupational Therapist6

Occupational Therapy6

Importance of Daily Activities8

Withdrawal8

Conclusion9

References10

Occupational Therapy Treatment for Patients with Dementia

Introduction

As people progress through dementia, they become more and more compromised in their ability to carry out basic and instrumental activities of daily living. As their abilities decrease, they become less able to process and interpret environmental stimuli (including screening out irrelevant and attending to salient stimuli) and formulate an action plan that leads to successful task completion (Allen, Earhart & Blue 2002).

The frustrations of being unable to complete a requested or desired task can lead to behaviors that further interfere with the ability to complete the task, create a risk for safety, and disturb others who share the environment with the individual (Auer & Reisberg 2006). The inability to accurately interpret environmental stimuli can also lead to behaviors that interfere with task completion, safety, or disturb others.

Evidence Based Practice

The evidence-based practice (EBP) is the use of best available scientific research in the care of individual patients. It is used mainly in medicine; and is also known as "Medicine based on proven facts" or "Evidence-based medicine."

EBP or "Evidence based healthcare practice" one might say, is a working method appropriate for any care giver who wants to develop research into care and improve their professional practice. Evidence based practice is the use of the best scientific Evidence to support the clinical decision making. The identification of the Best Evidence requires the construction of an appropriate research question and review of the literature.

Healthcare research assesses both quantitative and qualitative research. The quasi-experimental research, descriptive and qualitative is important for science and healthcare practice. Quantitative research adequately address questions regarding cause, prognosis, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and health care costs and qualitative research to answer questions arising from the meaning of the illness experience and understanding of the patient's feelings about the effects of interventions delivered. Therefore, the findings of qualitative and quantitative research are complementary and should be used according to the research topic.

From a methodological point of view, the EBP is based on several points:

Formulate a question related to starting a practice of care that seems problematic or insufficient.

Identify the literature on the subject: it is the important point: look at the literature on similar experiences to the research ...