If you’ve ever had to go to a busy emergency room, you know that it is not an ideal place. It’s a waiting room full of people in various states of distress and pain. Even with a minor injury or illness, the ER is never a great place to be. It’s always a bit overwhelming.
Now add something like dementia into the mix. A trip to the emergency room can be quite the traumatic experience, even if it is a necessary one.
According to an estimate from Michigan Medicine, about 7 percent of all emergency room visits are made by someone suffering from dementia. That’s about 1.4 million people with dementia each year that need emergency treatment. Additionally, the study found that people with dementia seek out emergency care or have it sought out for them at about twice the rate of their peers that do not suffer from dementia.
There’s some logic behind this, but also some big concerns. Someone with dementia might not have the same verbal ability to tell another person what their symptoms are or how severe they are. In instances like this, emergency treatment can be the best course of action because it is better to be safe and have them fully evaluated than it is to just assume things will be okay.
The research team believes that understanding the large number of dementia patients that require emergency care can lead to better overall care for this population. This understanding, they state, can help to avoid injuries and complications that might arise during treatment. Hopefully, this is a correct line of thinking.
This research was published in JAMA Neurology. Hopefully, this is used to help spur forward research when it comes to dementia treatment so that those suffering from this issue can get better medical care moving forward.
There’s no cure for many types of dementia, such as Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s, the two most common types of dementia. Until there is a cure someday, people struggling with this should have the comfort of knowing that they will receive the best help that they can get. Hopefully, more research will soon make this a reality.
When you have a loved one that is suffering from dementia, there are a large number of difficulties that need to be overcome. Finding them appropriate, helpful senior care helps to resolve many of them up front. It ensures that their day to day needs are met, that they are kept safe and supervised, and that they have access to even more resources as they are needed.
Regardless of where you are in the care journey, it’s never easy. This is a tough spot to be in. It’s tough for you, your family, but especially for the person grappling with dementia. Having a team on your side to help them get the resources that are best for them and to support you along the way will make that journey a little bit easier for everyone involved.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you with this process, please feel free to reach out.
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