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Long-term conditions
Dementia

Supporting distress behaviours in people with dementia in the community

02 August 2024
Long-Term Conditions
02 August 2024
Volume 29 · Issue 8

Abstract

The outward signs of distress can take many forms, including agitation, aggression, apathy, anxiety and depression and is experienced by most people with dementia at some point during the disease trajectory. Supporting people with dementia who experience distress can pose a significant challenge to community nurses who may lack the time, knowledge and skills to manage distress effectively. This article discusses distress in dementia, including the interplay between stress and distress, examines the various forms of distress and its causes. The article also presents two fictionalised case studies, drawn from the authors’ clinical experience, demonstrating evidence-based approaches community nurses can use in their practice to support people with dementia who experience distress.

Dementia is rising in prevalence across the globe. In the UK it is estimated that there are around a million people with dementia, and that number is set to increase to 1.6 million by 2040 (Wittenberg et al, 2019). Dementia is an umbrella term defined as a syndrome comprising a group of symptoms which include memory loss, problems with social functioning and changes to behaviour and personality (Sandilyan and Dening, 2019). Dementia has several forms, all of which are progressive. The more common ones include Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, mixed dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia (Sandilyan and Dening 2019). Dementia can also occur in those under 65 years of age (termed young-onset dementia) (Knight and Pepper, 2024), although it is typically thought of as a disease of older people.

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dementia
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