Emily's Third Reflection

Hello dear readers!  We are halfway through the semester, and I have volunteered several times now at the Best Friends Day Center.  Earlier in the semester, we created infographics depicting issues that our service learning organizations cover.  You have no doubt already viewed Katelyn's, but know we all prepared these infographics with different issues in mind.  The link to my own infographic can be found here.

In this infographic, you will explore the importance of allowing those with dementia to retain their independence and, therefore, their dignity.  This is an issue very dear to my heart as I have a major soft spot for the elderly, so I encourage those of you reading to take into consideration the points that the infographic addresses.  For those that do not wish to use the link, I will summarize the contents with the thesis.  "A respectful and dignified approach to assisting those with dementia in care centers can make all the difference in the comfort of the participants, as well as their families."

On another note, I am going to the center again tomorrow morning after a couple of weeks off for midterms and spring break, so my next post (a video post) will be more informative about the goings-on of my time with the participants!

With love,

Emily

References for infographic:

1.)  Bridgepointe at Ashgrove Woods | Assisted Senior Care, Memory Care and Adult Day Care near Lexington, Kentucky. (2013). Retrieved February 22, 2016, from http://www.bridgepointeassistedcare.com/

2.)  Cahill, A. (2015, October 13). EU deal will put elderly care at risk. Retrieved February 22, 2016, from http://www.bilaterals.org/?eu-deal-will-put-elderly-care-at

3.)  Compassionate Literature: Books on dignity and growing old - Yale University Press London Blog. (2012, February 29). Retrieved February 22, 2016, from http://yalebooksblog.co.uk/2012/02/29/compassionate-literature-books-on-dignity-and-growing-old/

4.)  Eblen, T. (2015, January 13). Best Friends seeks more male volunteers for Alzheimer’s care. Retrieved February 22, 2016, from http://tomeblen.bloginky.com/2015/01/13/best-friends-seeks-more-male-volunteers-for-alzheimers-care/

5.)  Heggestad, A. K., Nortvedt, P., & Slettebo, A. (2013). 'Like a prison without bars': Dementia and experiences of dignity. Nursing Ethics, 20, 881-892. doi:  10.1177/0969733013484484

6.)  Koskenniemi, J., Leino-Kilpi, H., & Suhonen, R. (2014). Manifestation of respect in the care of older patients in long-term care settings. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 29, 288-296. doi: 10.1111/scs.12162

7.)  Logsdon, R. G., Pike, K. C., Korte, L., & Goehring, C. (2014). Memory care and wellness services: Efficacy of specialized dementia care in adult day services. The Gerontologist, 00, 1-8. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnu012

8.)  Mitty, E. (2010). Storytelling. Geriatric Nursing, 31, 58-62. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2009.11.005

9.)  Need a break caring for your loved one? You're not alone. (2012). Retrieved February 22, 2016, from http://www.christiancarecommunities.org/Communities-Services/Home-and-Community-Services/Adult-Day-Care.aspx

10.)  Seman, D. (2007). Defining dignity: A means to creative interventions. Alzheimer's Care Today, 8, 212-230. doi:  10.1097/01.ALCAT.0000281869.35529.76

11.)  Venngage| Infographics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2016, from https://infograph.venngage.com/infographics

Katelyn's Second Reflection

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Hello all! At this point in the semester, I've volunteered at Best Friends several times, and have completed a research-based argumentative paper on the topic of advance directives as they relate to individuals suffering from Alzheimer's. I'm slowly beginning to understand more about the disease, and I'm starting to experience the reality of the deterioration from my time at the day center.

I've come to learn that individuals suffering from different forms of dementia have the ability to create an advance directive, which allows them to establish a plan for treatment and care that will be implemented when their case becomes so severe that they are no longer capable of making their own decisions.

In my research, which consisted of medical journals, the Alzheimer's Association, and other medical articles and foundations, I discovered that there is a strong relationship between having less aggressive care and having a directive in place. Not only this, but they also help to honor the desires of the patients, and prevent unnecessary stress caused by decision making for treatment. Unfortunately, too few Americans have actually established an advance directive for the number of individuals in the U.S. currently suffering from Alzheimer's: 5.3 million, according to the latest figures from the Alzheimer's Association. The image at right is an infographic I created using pieces of my research to help convey some of the foundations of what advance directives are and how they work.

I am very curious to know if the individuals at the Best Friends day center have directives in place, and what they look like, but I am unfortunately not capable of having access to this information, so the best I can do is to observe the level of care and respect administered to the guests.

Though I do not have access to medical files or much background on the guests I work with, I've begun to experience the effects of their individual progressions of the disease. At my last visit, I was engaging in conversation with a male guest and a female guest, and within the span of about 20 minutes, the female asked the male the same exact question (with absolute sincerity) 7 times. For some reason, her memory was resetting faster than usual that day, and she was unaware that she'd already had the same conversation with the man already. It was so heartbreaking to me, but so eye-opening as well. Memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer's are such difficult concepts to wrap your mind around until you've observed the effects. I am so humbled to be around individuals who, even though they suffer from the disease, are still joyful and unique and interested in the world around them. I thoroughly enjoy the time I'm spending volunteering at Best Friends, and I can't wait to continue observing and learning from the guests.

Until next time,

Katelyn

Advance care directives. (2015). Retrieved from

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/about-ethics- group/ethics-resource-center/end-of-life-care/advance-care-

directives.page.

Advance directive forms. (2011). Retrieved from http://uslwr.com/formslist.shtm.

Alzheimer's Association. (2015). End-of-Life Decisions. Retrieved from

https://www.alz.org/national/documents/brochure_endoflifedecisions

Burlá, C., Rego, G., & Nunes, R. (2014). Alzheimer, dementia and the living will: A

proposal. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy Med Health Care and Philos, 17, 389-395. doi:10.1007/s11019-014-9559-8.

Jongsma, K. R., & Vathorst, S. V. (2015). Beyond competence: Advance directives in

dementia research. Monash Bioeth. Rev. Monash Bioethics Review, 33, 167-180. doi:10.1007/s40592-015-0034-y.

Latest Alzheimer's facts and figures. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/facts/

Nicholas, L. H., Bynum, J. P., Iwashyna, T. J., Weir, D. R., & Langa, K. M. (2014). Advance

directives and nursing home stays associated with less aggressive end-of-life care for patients with severe dementia. Health Affairs, 33, 667-674. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2013.1258.

University of Virginia Health System. (n.d.). Talking about your health care choices:

Advance directive information, form and guidelines. Retrieved from http://uvahealth.com/patients-visitors/images/documents/AdvanceDirectiveInfo.pdf.