Care For Alzheimer Patient Essay

Alzheimer’s Disease is an irreversible, genetically linked illness. This disease was chosen for the topic of this essay under the consideration that in many families the illness can be incredibly tragic, passing down for generations without mercy. It is not rare to encounter families in which each member is afflicted with a form, mild or severe, of Alzheimer’s. The disease is a progressive brain disease which comes in two separate types: Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. These will be discussed in full later on in the paper.

This is why treating the person with dignity and respect is vital in end of life care in case of an individual with dementia.

Dementia Syndrome is a condition caused by a set of symptoms. These symptoms can include but are not limited to: - memory loss, mood changes, communication difficulties, difficulty understanding or thinking.

Preventable hospitalization and readmissions are an important health care quality measure that is well described in the literature. Potentially preventable hospitalizations are defined as hospital admissions for certain acute illnesses or worsening chronic conditions that might not have required hospitalization had these conditions been managed successfully by primary care providers in outpatient settings (Bindman, Grumbach, Osmond, et al.,1995; CDC, 2012; Lin, et al., 2013). These admissions are also considered a source of increased healthcare cost and a huge problem for patients, families, and caregivers (Daielo, et al., 2014). The consequence of hospitalization can be grave for older adults with dementia because they are discharging with more decline in their function and higher potential for readmission in a short time. For instance, Daielo et al. (2014) reported once patients with dementia get hospitalized, they are likely to be readmitted within 30 days compared to other patients with no dementia diagnosis. It is also important to note older adults residing in the community and in nursing homes have similar rates of potentially preventable

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, accounting for 65–70% of all cases (Jellinger, Janetzky, Attems, & Kienzl, 2008). The other dementias are of the Parkinson 's group, the fronto-temporal group and the vascular group. The total worldwide yearly costs for the treatment and care of patients suffering from dementia are estimated to be around 250 billion US dollars. The lifetime risk for AD between the ages of 65 and 100 is 33% for men and 45% for women with an annual increase of 1–2% in the seventh decade to almost 60% in the 10th decade with doubling every 5 years (Jellinger et al., 2008). AD is incurable, and thus represents a major public health problem. AD represents a challenge to humanity due to its relatively recent discovery, progressive nature of the illness, and complex diagnosis.

Alzheimer’s Disease is a disease of the future. With the growing aged population, this disease, which affects primarily the elderly, will become of increasing relevance to the medical profession. Also, the high frequency of Alzheimer’s, and the high cost in labor, money, and material of caring for its victims shall put considerable burden on the society as a whole. Here, however, these issues are not going to be debated. Instead the pathology of Alzheimer’s will be reviewed to the extent it is known today.

In 1901, a fifty one year old woman named Frau Auguste D. was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. She had an unusual bunch of symptoms. While she had no history of prior psychiatric illness, her husband had noticed that Frau D. was becoming increasing paranoid, hallucinatory, agitated, disoriented, and having increasing difficulties with language functions and memory.

A topic I learned more of this semester in regards to the older population was dementia. Some loss in memory function is an inevitable consequence of aging, and as one ages, it takes more time to process information and retrieve memories. However, "Dementia is a general term that refers to progressive, degenerative brain dysfunction, including deterioration in memory, concentration, language skills, visuospatial skills, and reasoning, that interferes with a person's daily functioning" (Mauk, 2014, p. 377). This loss of mental skills affects the ability to function over time, causing problems with memory and how one thinks, impacting these individual's overall quality of life.

     It is inevitable that eventually each of us will grow old and begin to face more and more health problems as our age rises. Elderly people are challenged by many illnesses and diseases that unfortunately, are incurable. One disease that becomes more common as people age is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s a common cause and a form of dementia and can severely damage a patient’s cognitive functions and can ultimately cause death. Living with Alzheimer’s disease can be saddening for both the sufferer and the family. Family and friends will find it very hard to cope when a loved one begins slipping away and losing memory of who they are.

Alzheimer's Disease is a condition that affects 50% of the population over the age of eighty five, which equals four million Americans each year. It is becoming an important and high-profile issue in today's society for everyone. There are rapid advancements being made in the fight against this disease now more than ever, and the purpose of this essay is to educate the public on the background as well as the new discoveries. There are many new drugs that are being tested and studied every day which slow down, and may even halt the progress of the disease.

Dementia is an umbrella term used to explain the gradual decline in multiple areas of functions, which includes thinking, perception, communication, memory, languages, reasoning, and the ability to function (Harrison-Dening 2013). Worldwide, 47.5 million people have dementia and there are 7.7 million new cases every year. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and may contribute to 60–70% of cases. (Alzheimer's society 2014). The complexity of dementia presents a number of behavioural challenges to those who live with dementia and their care providers. Aggressive behaviour seems to be one of the most prevalent challenging behaviours in the different stages of dementia (Weitzel et al 2011). As acute care

Dementia care offers support and services to an individual affected by the disease itself, which is dementia. It addresses the right and needs of the person with dementia and their families. Improving quality of life and changing attitudes towards dementia is the main goal of dementia care. Dementia care also provides quality of care, maintain dignity and promote health, security and comfort in consideration with the standard of care and ethical guidelines (Adams & Manthorpe, 2003).

Why A Nursing Home May Be The Best Way To Care For Your Parent With Dementia

Title: -‘A Report Submitted to the Continuing Care Committee within NHS Blackburn with Darwen Teaching Care Trust Plus’.

Individuals in lower socioeconomic (SES) groups are at a higher risk to experience disability and cognitive impairment at an earlier age, which makes this group in need for nursing home care (Berthelot, Derksen, Finlayson, & Mustard, 1999). Unfortunately, from a 2011 statistics, the average cost of nursing home care is $85,775, but these varies by state (Berger, 2014). Medicaid provides the money for individuals to receiving nursing home care, but not all nursing homes accept medicaid programs (Dickey, n.d.), Nursing homes that accept medicaid programs are subject to government inspections (Dickey, n.d.). Furthermore, to receive medicaid for nursing home care, individuals must prove that is “medically necessary,” and this decision varies by state (Dickey, n.d.). Higher quality (non-profit) nursing homes are usually funded by religious organizations (Berger, 2014). Other sources of funding are from Medicare (not for long term care), Medicaid, and also Veterans Administration Aid and Attendance (for veterans) (Mullin, 2013).