PREVALENCE OF DEMENTIA, READINESS, AND GUIDELINE FOR PREPARING RELATIVES TO CARE FOR DEMENTIA PATIENTS IN NONTHABURI PROVINCE

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study 1) the prevalence of dementia, and 2) the readiness of relatives to care for dementia patients and guidelines to prepare relatives for caregiving in Nonthaburi province. There were two groups of subjects and informants: 1) Subjects for studying the prevalence of dementia were 400 elderly people over 60 years old in Nonthaburi province, obtained through stratified random sampling, and 2) informants for studying the guidelines to prepare relatives for caregiving were 13 relatives of high-risk dementia subjects from the dementia prevalence study and 5 medical personnel who worked with dementia patients. Instruments used were: 1) the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), 2) the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), 3) group discussion topics evaluated by experts, and 4) the readiness questionnaires for assessing relatives to care for dementia patients, with a reliability of .83. Data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and content analysis.

The results were as follows: 1) The prevalence of dementia in Nonthaburi province was 3.25 percent, with the highest prevalence in Amphur Mueang Nonthaburi at 1.50 percent and no dementia cases in Amphur Bang Yai. Most cases were female. 2) The overall readiness of relatives was moderate, with the highest readiness in the physical aspect and the lowest in the information and support resources aspect. 3) Guidelines to prepare relatives caring for dementia patients were as follows: 1) Medical personnel involved with dementia patients should provide accurate and understandable information about symptoms and management of dementia. 2) Relatives and caregivers must be strong both physically and mentally, accept the changing status of patients, and have no financial problems. Additional information about caring for dementia in the elderly such as manage their time effectively and ensure readiness in terms of place and equipment for effective care. Health personnel must have knowledge and skills in using dementia screening forms, a special hotline for counseling, and a dedicated clinic for dementia. The involved agencies must integrate management policies and improve accessibility to standard treatment.