Dementia care in elderly people – vital role of a nurse

The elderly (>60 years) now constitute 9% of total population in India as per 2011 census. According to World Health Organisation (2015), 47.5 million people have dementia and there are 7.7 million new cases every year worldwide. It estimates that elderly who lives with dementia spend 11.2% of years living with disability that is significantly more than stroke, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The prevalence of dementia in urban India as a whole is 1.83%, while in urban south India it is 3.6%. The family members in rural areas opt to take care of the person with dementia voluntarily by sacrificing their job. In urban area, families who can afford for a care giver are looking for a care provider. The first preference of care giver will be a nurse. The number of people with dementia requiring acute care and hospitalisation is on rise as they live for long years with co morbidities. So the requirement of a trained nurse in dementia care is not only required in a hospital but also to meet social demands. The nurse when trained in dementia care will be in high demand and they too feel different from others, which gives them professional satisfaction.