Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model in understanding dementia
Social work commits traditionally to understanding the person within his/her environment, therefore it is useful for us to use the bioecological model which is well-suited to understand the challenges of dementia. Bronfenbrenner’s model focuses on the interactions between an individual and the external environment, which can be categorized into five major systems, namely microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem. (Bronfenbrenner, 1977) These systems are allocated from the closest environment to a person to the broadest. Starting from microsystem, it is the institutions and groups in the nearby environment that impact a person most immediately and directly …show more content…
To name a few, the family working environment, elderly home management, mass media, and education, these influence usually impacts the dementia patients as it trickles down through other people in the patient’s life. For example, stressful working environment and economic struggle of a family increase their burden. Therefore, families of dementia patients may not be able to support them to live in elderly home, and also family would have less time to accompany dementia patients. As a result, there may be a high degree of influence on dementia patients. For elderly home management, poor management may lead to excessive workload of staff. Staff, who are also the caregivers to the dementia patients, may experience emotional fatigue and treat patients in a bad way. Well-beings of dementia patients would thus be negatively affected. Dementia care practice and research also has indirect effect on patients of dementia by related-policymaking. For example, researchers recommend that most people to be cared for within the primary care with support of social services affect the government policy regarding patients with dementia. Furthermore, through mass media and education, the general public may have a deeper understanding of dementia. The image of dementia patients constructed by media and society is negative and over-emphasizing on the physical dysfunction. Also, because of dementia, patients are easily …show more content…
However, the positive cultural norms regarding elderly does not mean the society highlights the care of dementia. The government policy prioritizes economic development instead of dementia’s healthcare, so the government put less emphasis on care, training and support services to dementia patients. Moreover, the general public lacks information about dementia. Thus, when some dementia patients are diagnosed with dementia, both the patients and their family may find it difficult to react and
Social work commits traditionally to understanding the person within his/her environment, therefore it is useful for us to use the bioecological model which is well-suited to understand the challenges of dementia. Bronfenbrenner’s model focuses on the interactions between an individual and the external environment, which can be categorized into five major systems, namely microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem. (Bronfenbrenner, 1977) These systems are allocated from the closest environment to a person to the broadest. Starting from microsystem, it is the institutions and groups in the nearby environment that impact a person most immediately and directly …show more content…
To name a few, the family working environment, elderly home management, mass media, and education, these influence usually impacts the dementia patients as it trickles down through other people in the patient’s life. For example, stressful working environment and economic struggle of a family increase their burden. Therefore, families of dementia patients may not be able to support them to live in elderly home, and also family would have less time to accompany dementia patients. As a result, there may be a high degree of influence on dementia patients. For elderly home management, poor management may lead to excessive workload of staff. Staff, who are also the caregivers to the dementia patients, may experience emotional fatigue and treat patients in a bad way. Well-beings of dementia patients would thus be negatively affected. Dementia care practice and research also has indirect effect on patients of dementia by related-policymaking. For example, researchers recommend that most people to be cared for within the primary care with support of social services affect the government policy regarding patients with dementia. Furthermore, through mass media and education, the general public may have a deeper understanding of dementia. The image of dementia patients constructed by media and society is negative and over-emphasizing on the physical dysfunction. Also, because of dementia, patients are easily …show more content…
However, the positive cultural norms regarding elderly does not mean the society highlights the care of dementia. The government policy prioritizes economic development instead of dementia’s healthcare, so the government put less emphasis on care, training and support services to dementia patients. Moreover, the general public lacks information about dementia. Thus, when some dementia patients are diagnosed with dementia, both the patients and their family may find it difficult to react and