When people think about older
adults with dementia, they usually think about them living at home or at
institutions other than prisons. But the reality is that many older adults with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia live as prison inmates. The United
States puts more people in prison than any other country in the world. Over a
three-year period, the number of prisoners from ages 65 and older grew 94 times
the rate of the overall prison population. This is due to an aging population, longer
prison sentences, and stricter parole laws.
This very
vulnerable population is particularly challenging because early detection of
Alzheimer’s and other dementias are difficult to diagnose and treat. Many
prisoners live with serious risk factors for dementia such as depression. With
no prison-specific guidelines, clinicians must be
innovative in meeting these inmates’ needs in order to provide quality care.
The research
community focused on dementia must include studies using the prison populations
across the country and develop better guidelines for their treatment. This
video features the challenges of the American prison system in dealing with
older adult prisoners with dementia.
Frances Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer
in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book
editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.
This is a very interesting thought, and something that isn't spoken about enough. Dementia is a growing problem, StoriiCare is a good solution for helping those living with dementia in a care setting, and I feel that they would be very suitable for prisoners with dementia when used in a group therapy session.
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