Dementia

Q1. Explain why it is important to recognise and respect an individual’s heritage.
When working in a social care environment it is important to recognise and respect an individual’s heritage as it is one of the factors that makes them who they are, if we learn about a person’s heritage we can use it to identify their character, likes and dislikes and habits. By recognising and respecting heritage we will be enabling each individual to be themselves and feel accepted within the environment.
Q2. Compare the experience of dementia for an individual who has acquired it as an older person with the experience of an individual who has acquired it as a younger person.
The experience of dementia between an individual who has acquired it as an older person and the experience of an individual who has acquired it as a younger person may not be very different. The effects that dementia brings will be the same for both individuals as dementia does not discriminate. The care both individuals receive will differ and their own attitude towards it may also differ greatly. I believe an older person is more likely to cope with the news that they have dementia better than a younger person would. Dementia in an older person is a lot more common and well known so care for them is more available.
Q3. Describe how the experience of dementia may be different for individuals
    a. who have a learning disability – are at greater risk of developing dementia at a young age, particularly that suffer with Downs Syndrome. They will require specific support to understand the changes they are experiencing and to access appropriate services after diagnosis and as the dementia progresses. People with a learning disability are less likely to receive an early or correct diagnosis of dementia.
    b. who are from different ethnic backgrounds – Individuals from one cultural background are not all the same as each other. A person’s identity is also shaped by, among other things, their own...