A case study about a Dementia patient:

Fed up by those medications and doses of injection, she cannot help but to endure all these that doctors say are good for her. Why? Alzheimer B12 deficiency, to be exact, is the reason for this 82-year-old Chinese lady, who suffers a degree of memory loss. A wistful life she has, considering that she has no children and has a sister who does not care for her. Yet, she is able to function herself-she can drive but not until recently when her condition worsens. Asked who is there to help her? Well, there used to be a maid who took care of her but was fired after the lady got suspicious about the maid stealing things in her house. Fortunately, she has an adopted child who rings her daily, a good friend from Malacca who visits her monthly and a caring neighbour who would occasionally share her some food. Being a dementia patient, her condition deteriorates from time to time and now, she has to force herself into an everyday routine in which she has to perform tasks which seem either too difficult or unfamiliar. For example, after going through an eye operation which has impaired her vision, she has trouble locating her door keys and she would then be frustrated every time when she wants to go out. She does not buy food from outside and her diet turns bad-she is constantly complaining having no appetite. Also, afraid that burglars may break into her house, she sometimes becomes very anxious and would stay up the entire night in front of the main door just to feel safer. Hence, a light sleeper she is. Not only that, she has developed into quite an opinionated, stubborn and hot tempered person who prefers doing things herself and does not like assistance from others. Even the church people dare not pay her a visit anymore! Interestingly, she is not frightened by the entities in her hallucination. She is also a talkative person but sadly her conversations always revolve around the questioning of what mistakes have she done to deserve and suffer all these punishments. It is, indeed, upsetting to see her experiencing every moment of her life as such. Depression, wandering, anxious or agitated behaviours, hallucinations, and false ideas are some of the common behaviours a person with dementia has. In undergoing such a life, it can be painful for the patient. Thus, as care givers, we may help them to attend to the right context of dementia care by understanding why and how certain behaviour is taking place, tracking when the problem occurs and what emotions are involved so that we can provide a better care from a better attention.