Introduction: The number of people with dementia is increasing. Memory disorders, which are often the first symptom of dementia, are often accompanied by behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia. These symptoms in an individual with dementia lead to a decrease in the ability to participate in occupation. Purpose: The purpose of this diploma thesis is to examine the role of occupational therapist in dealing with behavioral and psychiatric symptoms in dementia. Methods of work: The diploma thesis used a systematic literature review, using the PRISMA model. The search used a timeframe from 2009 to 2019. The search for eligible studies was conducted using the following keywords: occupational therapy, neuropsychiatric symptoms, behavioural symptoms, psychological symptoms, dementia, non-farmacological interventions, alzheimer's disease in databases PubMed, PubMed Central, The Gerontologist Society of America, British Medical Journal. The final analysis included 6 scientific and 1 expert articles. Results: The role of the occupational therapist in dealing with behavioral and psychiatric symptoms in dementia is first to perform the necessary standardized and non-standardized assessments and to know the theoretical foundations for the treatment. An occupational therapist discusses the behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia and the context in which these symptoms occur first by interviewing the caregiver and, where possible, with the person with dementia. The occupational therapist can assess the user's cognitive level, range of motion, strength, mobility including the risk of falling and the home environment if the person lives at home. Next is a treatment that the occupational therapist can direct to the environment, to the caregiver or guardian, and to the person's behavior. It is important for a person with dementia to constantly monitor their behavior because behavioral and psychiatric symptoms can change and fluctuate during dementia; sometimes interventions need to be discontinued. Discussion and Conclusion: Based on the review literature, the Occupational Therapist has been recognized as an important expert in dealing with the behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia. Through occupational therapy services, the occupational therapist seeks to increase user participation, improve physical performance, quality of life, and reduce negative communication. Improving the above results in reducing the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Due to the extensive nature of the topic, further research on assessment instruments, methods and approaches, and the interventions of occupational therapists in the field would also make sense.
|
