Case Study - Dementia

Angela is a 48 year old woman with Down Syndrome who lives with her elderly parents. She has always lived at home and has demonstrated good self care skills. She regularly attends a day centre which she has always enjoyed doing. Her mother reports that over the past six months Angela has required increased assistance with dressing in the morning. For example; she struggles to do up the buttons on her cardigan and at times has worn it back to front. Her mother reports that she needs constant prompting to complete her morning routine of washing, dressing and eating breakfast and if not prompted will not complete these tasks. More recently, Angela has refused to attend the day centre on occasion. Staff report that when she is at the day centre, Angela appears less interested in her preferred activities and at times has been found wandering in other parts of the centre. When confronted about this Angela has become aggressive and even attempted to hit a staff member on one occasion, which is very unusual for her. Angela’s family doctor arranged a consultation with a psychiatrist and a diagnosis of early onset dementia was suggested. This was supported by further investigations including a CT scan of her brain, and planning was undertaken for her future care needs.