Introduction
The purpose of this review is to synthesis the literature pertaining to safe transition of care for older adults with dementia. As the number of adults age 65 and older continues to increase, the prevalence of dementia is expected to rise worldwide. In the United States alone, more than 5 million adults over 65 years old and more than 14% of those over age 70 have dementia (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). Although dementia is considered a terminal illness (Mitchell, Teno, Kiely, 2009; Raymond, Warner, Davies, et. al., 2014; Peacock, Duggleby, & Koop, 2014), people with dementia could survive an average of 3 to 11 years after diagnosis (Todd, Barr, & Passmore, 2013) and some live 10-20 years more post-diagnosis (National Institute of Aging, 2013). The long duration of the illness and its progressive nature results in multiple healthcare encounters and poses serious threats to optimal transitional care. However, research on safe transition of care in dementia is significantly less developed in comparison to the transition care literature in other chronic illness frameworks.
The broader transitional care literature demonstrates that older adults with dementia have a large number of encounters …show more content…
592). In this biomedical construction, it is important to recognize ‘dementia’ is an umbrella term for various types of dementias including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, mixed dementia, and dementia related to Parkinson’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia; it accounts for 60-80 of all cases (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). The focus of this medical concept is on the cognitive loss and its impact on the person with
The purpose of this review is to synthesis the literature pertaining to safe transition of care for older adults with dementia. As the number of adults age 65 and older continues to increase, the prevalence of dementia is expected to rise worldwide. In the United States alone, more than 5 million adults over 65 years old and more than 14% of those over age 70 have dementia (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). Although dementia is considered a terminal illness (Mitchell, Teno, Kiely, 2009; Raymond, Warner, Davies, et. al., 2014; Peacock, Duggleby, & Koop, 2014), people with dementia could survive an average of 3 to 11 years after diagnosis (Todd, Barr, & Passmore, 2013) and some live 10-20 years more post-diagnosis (National Institute of Aging, 2013). The long duration of the illness and its progressive nature results in multiple healthcare encounters and poses serious threats to optimal transitional care. However, research on safe transition of care in dementia is significantly less developed in comparison to the transition care literature in other chronic illness frameworks.
The broader transitional care literature demonstrates that older adults with dementia have a large number of encounters …show more content…
592). In this biomedical construction, it is important to recognize ‘dementia’ is an umbrella term for various types of dementias including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, mixed dementia, and dementia related to Parkinson’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia; it accounts for 60-80 of all cases (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). The focus of this medical concept is on the cognitive loss and its impact on the person with