THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE ELDERLY WITH DEMENTIA IN THE NURSING HOME

S prehodom starostnika z demenco iz domačega okolja v dom za starejše se porušijo nekatere njegove utečene vsakdanje navade, kar spremeni kakovost njegovega dotedanjega življenja. V teoretičnem delu diplomskega dela smo opisali starost in spremembe, ki spremljajo to življenjsko obdobje. Predstavili smo sindrom demence kot bolezen za katero so značilne motnje socialnega vedenja, kognitivni upad in slabo obvladovanje čustev. Izpostavili smo kakovost življenja starostnika z demenco v instituciji, katere osnova je zagotavljanje kakovostne zdravstvene nege. V empiričnem delu smo predstavili rezultate raziskave, izvedene med člani negovalnega tima, ki so neposredno vključeni v delo s stanovalci z demenco in med stanovalci v začetnem stadiju demence, ki živijo v domu za starejše. Rezultate smo pridobili s pomočjo dveh anketnih vprašalnikov, katerih vprašanja so bila vzporedna. Ugotavljali smo, ali člani negovalnega tima prepoznavajo psihološke potrebe starejših ljudi z znaki začetne demence, ki bivajo v domu starejših, ali pomagajo pri zadovoljevanju ugotovljenih psiholoških potreb, ter ugotavljali, ali vključevanje stanovalcev z demenco v skupine za boljšo samooskrbo pripomore k zadovoljevanju njihovih psiholoških potreb. Rezultati raziskave so pokazali, da člani negovalnega tima pogosto prepoznavajo psihološke potrebe stanovalcev z demenco in so pri zadovoljevanju le-teh pogosto uspešni. Pomagajo jim pri ohranjanju stikov s primarno socialno mrežo ter jih spodbujajo k druženju in vključevanju v skupine za boljšo samooskrbo v novem okolju. Rezultati raziskave kažejo, da sta to dejavnika, ki bistveno pripomoreta k boljšemu počutju stanovalcev, kar prepoznava večina članov negovalnega tima. V sklepu smo opozorili na potrebo po stalnem izobraževanju zaposlenih na področju dela z dementnimi stanovalci in potrebo po sledenju sodobnim usmeritvam dela na področju demence, ki usmerjajo bivanje stanovalcev z demenco v manjših gospodinjskih enotah, kar bi stanovalcem omogočalo prijetnejše bivanje z občutkom domačnosti, individualnosti in večje varnosti.With the transition of elderly people with dementia from home surroundings into the nursing homes some of their established everyday habits are ruined which changes the quality of their previous lives. The theoretical part of this graduation thesis describes the old age and changes which accompany this life period. The syndrome of dementia is introduced as an illness characterised by social behaviour disorders, cognitive impairments and deterioration in emotional control. We emphasised the quality of life of elderly people with dementia living in institutions whose basic activities are ensuring the quality of health care. The empirical part represents results of the research which have been carried out among the members of the nursing team who are directly included in the work with residents with dementia and also among the early stage dementia patients who live in nursing homes. The results have been obtained by the help of two questionnaires with parallel questions. Our aim was to ascertain whether the members of the nursing team recognise the psychological needs of elderly people with symptoms of early dementia who live in the nursing homes and whether they help to meet the identified psychological needs. We also wanted to discover whether the integration of the residents with dementia into the self-help groups helps to meet their psychological needs. The results of the research have shown that members of the nursing team frequently recognise the psychological needs of residents with dementia and are frequently successful at meeting them. They help them to maintain the contacts with the patients’ primary social net and encourage them to include into the self-help groups in the new environment. The results of the research show that these are the factors that contribute significantly to well-being of the residents which is noticed by the majority of the nursing team. In the conclusion the need for constant education of the employees in the field of working with residents with dementia has been pointed out as well as the need for following courses of action in the field of dementia. These courses of action direct the residence of the people with dementia in smaller household units which would enable them a more pleasant residence with a feeling of domesticity, individuality and greater security