Forget Me Not: The #1 Alzheimer's and Dementia Guide for Professional and Family Caregivers

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If a doctor is concerned about dementia affecting your driving, they may say that you should stop driving immediately, or at least until the results of the DVLA/DVA investigation. Over the past 2 years, Eileen’s daughters have noticed that she has been losing her keys and forgetting to give her husband his medication on time. Although Eileen has always been an excellent driver, her car now has a dented bumper and a few Prince, M. et al. (2014). World Alzheimer Report 2014. Dementia and Risk Reduction. An analysis of Protective and Modifiable Risk Factors. Alzheimer's Disease International, London UK. [online] Available at: https://www.alz.co.uk/research/WorldAlzheimerReport2014.pdf [Accessed 4 Jul. 2019]. pp. 42-63. Most scholars and practitioners agree that although dementia cannot be stopped, early detection can help individuals, families, and service systems plan ahead. Accurate and timely assessment would enable appropriate intervention strategies that involve individuals and families. For example, prison medical departments can provide physical examinations, laboratory tests, and cognitive assessments. Because the self-report information of persons with dementia may be impeded, obtaining information from other sources such as family and staff would be needed. Fellow prisoners also could be educated and trained to observe and identify subtle changes occurring among inmates. In addition, a focus on advance care planning for older adult prisoners and improved communication as part of the early detection assessment and response process is critical.

Terry is a 66-year-old retired teacher, who lives alone. He been feeling low since he retired 6 months ago and feels his thinking has really slowed down. There may come a time when you start to find it hard to make decisions about important parts of your life, such as managing your money, or in taking medical decisions. You can givea trusted relative, friend or solicitor the rightto make such

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understand thatthere is anything wrong with them – they may become cross when someone tries to help them. Eileen does not feel there is a real problem with her memory. She gets irritable and upset when her daughters tell her that they are worried about her memory. After much persuasion, she agrees to go and see her GP with them. The GP does some simple In conclusion, it is too costly and inhumane to do nothing about this social problem. The good news is that the gerontological community of diverse disciplines and professionals can provide a needed collective biopsychosocial perspective in this national debate and provide practical strategies for practice, policy, and research on the ground. In the aftermath of this mental health service and policy shortfall, this is an aging, mental health, and criminal justice crisis that is too large to ignore. Therefore, we need to make sure that we take care of all of its “victims,” wherever they reside, including in prison. The goals are clear: improved practice, policy, and research to develop a high-quality, evidence-based continuum of care. With a humanitarian vision fueled by ingenuity, careful planning, and collaboration, we can achieve a just world in which all people can live and die with dignity and respect. Perhaps the first step toward this goal is to remember these words: forget me not—dementia in prison. Funding

National Health Service. (2017). Advance decision (living will); End of life care. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/end-of-life-care/advance-decision-to-refuse-treatment/ [Accessed 4 Jul. 2019]. This study was funded by the Gerontological Society of America and the John A. Hartford Foundation. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1, guarantees that individuals should be treated with dignity and respect. Although there is no constitutional right to health care in the United States, there is a well-recognized human right to adequate health care. The United States Supreme Court has held that deliberate indifference to a prisoner’s serious illness constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment ( Estelle v. Gamble, 1976). The Court states in its opinion: “denial of medical care may result in pain and suffering which no one suggests would serve any penological purpose” (429 US 97) Health care justice demands that the intrinsic worth of each human person be accounted for in the allocation of scarce resources ( Sulmasy, 2003). This is clearly not the case, when older adults are dying the slow death of dementia in prison often without access to appropriate treatment and services.

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In Alzheimer's, proteins called amyloid and tau build up in the brain to form deposits called 'plaques' and 'tangles'. Damage happens to the brain in these areas, and this affects the chemicals in the brain which transmitmessages from one cell to The GP is concerned and so refers him to the memory clinic. After a brain scan they diagnose dementia with Lewy bodies. It is difficult to predict how a vascular dementia will progress, as the problems depend on which part of the brain is affected. There may be: In the United States, it is estimated that 13% of individuals, aged 65 years and older, have some degree of dementia. However, there is no national study to estimate the prevalence of dementia among the U.S. prison population ( Maschi, 2011). However, based on the review of 10 published studies of dementia among older adults in prison, the estimated rate ranges from 1% to 44% depending on the nature and size of the correctional setting (author blinded for review). On a national level, the rate of dementia in the general population is expected to increase from 1.7% in 2009 to 1.9% in 2030 and 2.6% in 2050. Wilson and Barboza (2010) estimate that the number of prisoners with dementia in 2010, 125,220 prisoners, will double in 2030 ( n = 211,020) and triple in 2050 ( n = 381,391). This higher rate has been attributed to the process of accelerated aging in which the health status of offenders is hastened by approximately 15 years due to the health and environmental risk factors associated with prolonged imprisonment ( Wilson & Barboza, 2010). Older Adults in Prison: Especially Vulnerable to Dementia “ Victimization”