Found this video in Cambodian that helps to raise awareness of dementia among the Cambodian community. The video is produced in Australia but it serves to address the issues that Cambodians with dementia and their caregivers face living in the community. It’s great to see the support provided for minority groups in Australia and the ability for the video to help provide awareness of dementia to the wider Cambodian audience in Asia.
It’s not a disgrace…it’s dementia, is a short film to raise awareness, reduce stigma and dispel myths about dementia within the Cambodian-speaking community. The film features carers of people living with dementia giving personal accounts, in their own language, of their experience, along with health professionals who talk about the condition and stress the importance of seeking help early. This film has been produced by Alzheimer’s Australia NSW, with thanks to the Department of Health and Ageing (DOHA) and Family and Community Services. It was produced in partnership with Why Documentaries and the Multicultural Communities Council of the Illawarra.
Characterised by the increase of symptoms such as agitation, confusion, anxiety, and aggressiveness commencing in the late afternoon, evening, and at night. It is highly prevalent among people with dementia, in a nursing home population, it was found that 12.4% of people with dementia presented with sundowning syndrome. However, please note that the study was carried in nursing homes in America.
Causes of Sundown Syndrome can be grouped into three main categories:
1. Physiological
2. Psychological
3. Environmental
Physiological and Psychological:
– Sensory Deprivation
– Sleep/Wake Cycle
– Change in body temperature
– Medication & Psychiatric conditions
Activities staff can undertake in a Dusk till Dawn programme or treatment:
Time: 15 minutes before sundowning symptoms occur
Environment: Minimise stimulation such as loud noises or lights from the television/radio, reduce surrounding staff movements, etc.
Environmental interventions/ behavioral modifications is recommended as the first line of treatment
Others include:
music therapy, aromatherapy, multisensory stimulation, and simulated presence therapy.
Avoid:
Restraints, this may escalate behaviours.
Showering the resident in the evening if this is not a familiar activity for the resident.
References:
Duckett S. Managing the sundowning patient. J Rehabil. 1993;1:24–28.
Evans LK. Sundown syndrome in institutionalized elderly. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1987;35:101–108.
Khachiyants, N., Trinkle, D., Son, S. J., & Kim, K. Y. (2011). Sundown Syndrome in Persons with Dementia: An Update. Psychiatry Investigation, 8(4), 275–287. http://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2011.8.4.275
For those, like me struggling to put on your bracelet every morning, here’s an easy way to help you to do so. Please make sure that the paperclip does not have any sharp ends that may result in skin tears. Check out the video by Cleverly below.
Prepare your tissues asWatching this film got me really teary. In this short film, Pam White and her family shared their experiences of living with Alzheimer’s Disease, standing together as a family in this epic short film put together by Banker White. We can all learn from her loving family.
So whatever happens, we’re definitely doing it together – Ed White
Share this film about the orange today and raise awareness about dementia. Dementia is not a normal part of ageing and it is a physiological condition, a brain with dementia weighs 140 grams less than a healthy brain.
Please tweet this video by Alzheimer’s Research UK & Christopher Eccleston with the hashtag #sharetheorange today.
Designing for Aged Care 