HNN318 Team Poster Presentation

 It is a myth that ‘Dementia is a normal part of Aging’.

     Normal part of aging involves reduction in specific cognitive abilities such as executive functions, episodic memory and mental speed whereas the verbal abilities and world knowledge are still maintained (Fjell et al., 2014). The aging of brain is due to pathophysical changes in the lifespan of an individual over a period of time. The impact of aging various from person to person as it is not genetically programmed (Nikhra, 2017). The outcome of aging among individuals varies due to wear and tear and efforts at biological level for them to get repaired and adapted to Hyman, 2014). The normal thing with aging with respect to cognitive abilities is that the cognitive abilities slow down and ability to keep several information in mind at same time declines as memory declines and exact nature of decline depends on type of memory. But this cannot lead to dementia (Fjell et al., 2014). Dementia being normal part of aging is a myth as every individual has different cognitive abilities and the biological factors contribute towards maintaining the cognitive abilities. To dispel the myth it is essential to understand the age-related changes to get better understanding of age-related dementia (Hyman, 2014). A therapeutic plan wherein the toxic triggers such as mercury, dysbiosis and poor diet is done while optimizing nutrient-regulated gene expression (Hyman, 2014). Age-related dementia is not a normal part of aging as it depends on mental and biological conditions of an individual, which is not same in all and varies and hence it cannot be claimed that dementia is a normal part of aging. 

Individual Reflection

Reflection is a vital and critical part of learning as it helps in consolidating the knowledge and skills acquired through a lesson or experiencec (Taylor, 2010). Rolfe et a l. (2001) model of reflection involves a structure called ‘What? So What? Now What?’ which starts from the central event and then explaining the importance or value and the concluding with next steps (Taylor, 2010). My attitude to caring for older people with dementia before poster presentation was that, I considered it as a disease, which cannot be effectively or completely cured, and all have the same level of dementia. I believed that people with dementia need to be treated in a particular way and particular attention has to be paid. But after the team poster presentation my attitude towards older people changed as before I used to consider that dementia is a normal part of aging and almost all get dementia. I realized that all old people do not have dementia even though they lose memory and might not remember things as they used to in their younger age. I realized that the older people with dementia should be treated in a normal way as cause of dementia might be due to some issues in the cognitive functioning, which can be addressed through various therapies. My intended approach to providing a supportive care is not to view them as suffering from any chronic disease instead treating them in a normal manner and help them improve their cognitive functioning through daily activities and other medications prescribed by the doctor.