Role Of A Community Nurse In Caring For People With Dementia

Posted August 9, 2022

What is Dementia?

Dementia is the gradual deterioration or loss of cognitive functioning (thinking, remembering, and reasoning) to the extent that it can significantly affect a person’s ability to perform daily tasks. Dementia has different severity stages and primarily affects older people over sixty years. However, it is not a part of normal ageing. One of the most common types of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.

There are several symptoms of dementia. Some of them include:

Loss of short-term memory
Difficulty in decision making and judgements
Inability to perform or complete basic and familiar tasks
Mood and personality shifts
Difficulty in having a hold over one’s emotions
Losing balance and having problems with movement
Repetition of questions and incidents
Struggle to find words to express oneself

Support by Community Nurses

Community nurses play an imperative role in improving the quality of life and social inclusion of people with dementia. They provide several services. These include:

1. Encouraging socialisation

Community nurses facilitate social involvement by teaching participants creative ways to communicate so they can feel more confident and excited about social situations. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing other mental health conditions.

2. Assistance with daily activities and establishing a routine

Since dementia leads to the deterioration of the frontal lobe with time, a participant’s ability to perform day-to-day tasks also decreases. Therefore, nurses play a vital role in fulfilling participants’ personal care requirements. They help participants establish a daily routine so they can increase their motivation and have specific tasks and activities to look forward to daily.

3. Encouraging exercises to improve physical health

To maintain participants’ functional independence for as long as possible, community nurses encourage participants to engage in meaningful exercises. This has a positive impact on their cognitive and mental stimulation. It also reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension.

4. Improving and maintaining participants’ mental health

Dementia has a very detrimental impact on a person’s mental health and well-being since participants witness their ability to perform tasks decrease over time. Community nurses utilise a holistic care model to ensure participants have a hold of their moods and emotions since dementia can significantly impact their personality and the ability to handle environmental stressors. They engage participants in activities such as puzzles, word games, or baking to improve their memory and concentration.

5. Encouraging participants to live an independent life

To overcome the challenges people with dementia face in their daily life functionality, community nurses involve them in activities that keep them engaged and gradually improve their independence.

The absence of engagement can directly impact the person’s quality of life by diminishing their sense of personhood. Hence, the purpose behind community nursing in Beenleigh is not to make participants dependent on assistance but to teach them how to overcome barriers or obstacles they face in their lives by themselves.

6. Health Promotion

The services provided by community nurses aim to promote the importance of health and safety. Community nurses ensure that dementia does not restrict their participant’s right to receive sufficient treatment or therapy. They educate participants and their families about their physical, mental, and health needs and help them access appropriate health care services. By doing so, they ensure that optimum health is achieved.

7. Providing support for family and carers

A person living with someone who has dementia often takes a central role in the provision of supports. Hence, they can also face challenges when managing their family members. Community nurses educate families/carers on how to take care of their loved ones and encourage them to focus on their personal well-being too.

Looking for help with community nursing in Beenleigh?

Complete Connect, one of the most trusted and leading home care providers, offers community nursing in Beenleigh with the primary objective of relief. Whether you are discharged from the hospital, need in-home assistance, or have had a change in your treatment plan, our team can significantly improve your health conditions.

Our community nurses offer several services, including but not limited to:

Case management
Setting up medication
Developing treatment plans
Monitoring of vitals
Overnight nursing care
In-home assessments

If you wish to avail of these services for your loved ones, please feel free to contact us. Our skilled and knowledgeable team will cater to all your needs.