Summary: Advocacy For Seniors With Dementia
Advocacy for Seniors with Dementia/Alzheimer’s
Jeri Fletcher
BSHS/441
May 23, 2013
Deborah Cujino-Deras
Advocacy for Seniors with Dementia/Alzheimer’s
Advocacy is defined as a person who advocates on the behalf of an individual or a group. The advocate provides the client support at helping the client resolve issues that affects his or hers daily life (Barsky, 2007).
Advocating for seniors with Alzheimer’s that face issues with their, health and overall wellbeing. This disease threatens millions of lives every day. The disease not only affects the patient but the family of the patient as well (Alzheimer 's Association, n.d.).
The affect can be mentally as well as financially. As advocate you stay on top of policies and legislation issues and help elevate the cause. It is one of the diseases that does not get the attention it so richly deserves (Alzheimer 's Association, n.d.). …show more content…
When advocating for seniors there a wide variety of issues confronting those with Alzheimer’s such as housing, finding the right caregiver, medical concerns, and social issues.
One of the plans is to decide with the family if the patient has family how to take of this task (Alzheimer 's Association, n.d.).
My plan would be to first find agencies and resources, to discuss the plan with an eldercare expert and explain my concerns for the client. A decision must be made on whether the client is able to remain home with family and a caregiver or be moved to an assisted living resident that is suited for Alzheimer’s
patients
Whether at home or in a senior facility plans must be made carefully. Issues that might occur are things such as finances, a caring and experienced caregiver, legal decisions, and if at home the daily living safeties are very important. There are other issues like transportation to a from the doctor’s office, or maybe finding an adult daycare.
The daycare is a facility where the patient could get involved daily activities that can help with stimulation of the brain along with the medications that he or she is taking. I would also help create a plan with the family, such group sessions, reading material, or online classes on how to care for their love one.
These activities that I mention with the help of love ones can delay the disease process. When my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the family received the help needed, first by making sure she took the cognitive test to see what stage she was in , she was then prescribe the medication she needed, and the resources for the family to deal with the changes that would occur. We received monthly phone calls, brochures on what to look for at each stage of the disease, and just making sure that we were getting the help we needed.
Because of that assistance that we received until the day she passed away I donate, I do the walk for Alzheimer’s and have signed up to be an advocate for the cause and making our voices heard.
References
Alzheimer 's Association. (n.d.). The senior source. Retrieved from http://www.theseniorsource.org/pages/resource.html#Government Resources
Barsky, A. E. (2007). Conflict Resolution for the Helping Professions (2nd ed.). Fort Lauderdale, FL: Brooks Cole.
Leviton, S. C., & Greenstone, J. L. (1993). Elements of Mediation (Rev ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks and Cole.
Jeri Fletcher
BSHS/441
May 23, 2013
Deborah Cujino-Deras
Advocacy for Seniors with Dementia/Alzheimer’s
Advocacy is defined as a person who advocates on the behalf of an individual or a group. The advocate provides the client support at helping the client resolve issues that affects his or hers daily life (Barsky, 2007).
Advocating for seniors with Alzheimer’s that face issues with their, health and overall wellbeing. This disease threatens millions of lives every day. The disease not only affects the patient but the family of the patient as well (Alzheimer 's Association, n.d.).
The affect can be mentally as well as financially. As advocate you stay on top of policies and legislation issues and help elevate the cause. It is one of the diseases that does not get the attention it so richly deserves (Alzheimer 's Association, n.d.). …show more content…
When advocating for seniors there a wide variety of issues confronting those with Alzheimer’s such as housing, finding the right caregiver, medical concerns, and social issues.
One of the plans is to decide with the family if the patient has family how to take of this task (Alzheimer 's Association, n.d.).
My plan would be to first find agencies and resources, to discuss the plan with an eldercare expert and explain my concerns for the client. A decision must be made on whether the client is able to remain home with family and a caregiver or be moved to an assisted living resident that is suited for Alzheimer’s
patients
Whether at home or in a senior facility plans must be made carefully. Issues that might occur are things such as finances, a caring and experienced caregiver, legal decisions, and if at home the daily living safeties are very important. There are other issues like transportation to a from the doctor’s office, or maybe finding an adult daycare.
The daycare is a facility where the patient could get involved daily activities that can help with stimulation of the brain along with the medications that he or she is taking. I would also help create a plan with the family, such group sessions, reading material, or online classes on how to care for their love one.
These activities that I mention with the help of love ones can delay the disease process. When my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the family received the help needed, first by making sure she took the cognitive test to see what stage she was in , she was then prescribe the medication she needed, and the resources for the family to deal with the changes that would occur. We received monthly phone calls, brochures on what to look for at each stage of the disease, and just making sure that we were getting the help we needed.
Because of that assistance that we received until the day she passed away I donate, I do the walk for Alzheimer’s and have signed up to be an advocate for the cause and making our voices heard.
References
Alzheimer 's Association. (n.d.). The senior source. Retrieved from http://www.theseniorsource.org/pages/resource.html#Government Resources
Barsky, A. E. (2007). Conflict Resolution for the Helping Professions (2nd ed.). Fort Lauderdale, FL: Brooks Cole.
Leviton, S. C., & Greenstone, J. L. (1993). Elements of Mediation (Rev ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks and Cole.