EMS and firefighters must deal with a variety of conflicts and dangers when rushing into an emergency situation. One thing they need to watch out for is patients that might show signs of dementia. The World Health Organization (WHO) calculates that as many as 55 million people worldwide have varying degrees of dementia. Worse still, about 10 million new cases will likely happen every year.
A common condition affecting older adults, dementia can occur in one out of every 50 people aged 65 to 69. But its symptoms aren’t always easy to identify. It can prevent sufferers from getting the medical care they need.
EMS and firefighters encounter many people when they rescue people. Often, many of these people are older and need extra assistance. But how can a firefighter or other EMS recognize signs of dementia in a patient they are attempting to assist? Several symptoms are evident that can help firefighters and EMS determine if their patient might have dementia.
Dementia Training for EMS professionals
The University of Texas at Arlington started a project aimed at helping emergency medical service (EMS) personnel identify and treat people that may have dementia. The program involves a series of seminars covering health literacy for EMS professionals.
The training sessions occurred in Fort Worth, Texas. It was a collaborative effort by the University of North Texas Health Science Center, Alzheimer’s Association, and MedStar Mobile Healthcare. Its primary focus was on how emergency medical service personnel work with people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Erin Carlson is an important figure in the development. She is the director of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s graduate public health program. Carlson became involved in the creation of the training programs. She is also one of the more active proponents of the program’s evaluation.
The Health Literacy Approach
For Carlson, approaching the issue from a health literacy position is crucial. Based on discussions with several EMS providers, he realized that most do not have special training for handling dementia cases. She developed the program to help EMS personnel communicate with patients so that they would understand.
In the course of his research, Carlson worked extensively with Kayla Demiar. She is a public health undergraduate student assistant who helped create a survey to assess the training program’s effectiveness. The survey later proved the value of the health literacy approach, highlighting its benefits in increasing knowledge of dementia response among EMS workers.
The University of Texas program differs significantly from most other health literacy initiatives. While the focus has traditionally been on training physicians, this particular program was focused mainly on EMS providers. It is an especially crucial distinction considering that very little has been made on the health literacy front to improve communication between patients with dementia and first responders and EMS personnel.
Dementia: Symptoms or Disease?
It’s important to understand that dementia isn’t technically a disease. Instead, it is several symptoms resulting from varying degrees of brain damage. Many conditions can cause this, including Alzheimer’s.
Just as significantly, the symptoms of dementia can vary depending on the part of the brain affected. So while one person may experience some degree of memory loss and another exhibit mood changes, they may both have dementia.
Early Symptoms of Dementia
Some symptoms of dementia occur long before the patient is diagnosed with the condition. Among the most common of these are:
· Impaired memory
· Inability or difficulty concentrating
· Confusion during typical interactions
· Difficulty following conversations or saying intended words
· Confusions about times and places
These symptoms usually start mild but get worse over time. However, the symptoms might not be severe enough to warrant a diagnosis of dementia. Thus, doctors might diagnose these symptoms as mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Later Symptoms of Dementia
The symptoms of dementia become more apparent and more severe as the condition progresses. Memory loss and communication problems become more noticeable, and patients often neglect their health and hygiene. Most eventually require constant care.
Some of the most common symptoms of late-stage dementia are:
· Severe memory problems
· Communication difficulty
· Mobility issues
· Behavioral problems
· Bladder and bowel incontinence
Some of the symptoms of dementia are very mild. Thus, it may seem inconsequential if anyone notices them. Indeed, the signs of early-onset dementia aren’t taken seriously by friends and family. It is only when the condition becomes more apparent and undeniable that one must take medical action.
Firefighters and EMS personnel must be aware of the signs of dementia during all stages and know how to deal with patients suffering from the condition. As they often encounter such patients during their calls, appropriate training and instruction will enable them to deliver the required medical care.
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