Coping With Alzheimer's Disease Summary

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.

Dementia has a huge impact on not only the lives of them self’s but also the family and carer. Watching the person you love degenerate from a fully functioning person to some one that needs to be fully cared for. As a carer, you are likely to experience a range of different feelings. This is particularly difficult because as dementia gradually causes the person’s abilities and personality to change the nature of relationships will also change (better health). The

The article “Roles and Coping Strategies of Sons Caring for a Parent With Dementia” addresses the specific demographic of sons caring for a parent (or parent-in-law) with dementia and explores the roles and coping strategies of these individuals as well as the emotional impact that care giving has on them. The participants were recruited through information about the study that was provided to group participants and health care providers as well as paper and online flyers. The data was gathered using a semi-structured interview either over the phone or in person and these interviews were conducted over a two year span (from 2011-2013).

the importance of relationships and interactions with others to the person with dementia, and their potential for promoting well‑being.

Disability is a broad term used to define an impairment that affects one or more aspects of an individual’s life. The types of disabilities range from mobility, medical, cognitive, psychiatric, developmental, environmental or sense based. These impairments can drastically change the individual’s life from the “normal” or average expectation level of functioning (Mallet & Runswick-Cole, 2015, pgs. 3-4). Families are a complex structure that is shaped by its members, their lives and their environment. The family systems theory defined as “the physical, social and emotional functioning of family members is profoundly interdependent, with changes in one part of the system reverberating in other parts of the system” (McGoldrick, & Gerson, 1985, pg. 5). When one family member is born with or develops a disability, it affects the other family members as well. Through the family working together as a unit, this may positively affect the individual with relation to their disability and benefit the family as a whole. This paper will analyze the medical condition, familial early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, as a disability and how it affects the Howard family based on the film, Still Alice.

Providing care for a family member can cause a tremendous strain for the primary caregiver in many areas of his/her life including financial, physical, and psychological which often results in both increased emotional needs and physical complications for the caregiver (Eun-Jeong Lee, DeDios, Fong, Simonette & Lee, 2013). As disabled older adults live longer lives, there is now an increasing need to rely on others to assist them with their day-to-day activities and activities of daily living (ADL), and that role often falls upon the spouses of the impaired or close family members (Barbosa, Figueirdo, Sousa & Demain, 2010). Research data provided by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) estimated that there were approximately 44 million caregivers age 18 and over, with one third of those caregivers being male, whom were providing care to adults age 50 and above (National Alliance for Caregiving, 2015). These

A strengths-based perspective has the ability to reduce conflict between couples/families, as well as foster a better quality of life for the person with dementia. The importance of positive communication, togetherness and care are major areas of focus throughout the article. The author highlighted the renewed connection between the caregiver and the person with dementia. This article provided the reader with an alternative perspective and reminder to remain positive. The information obtained from McGovern will assist in applying a strength-based perspective to the reader’s clinical

She welcomes anyone who comes into view yet stands near her husband. She develops small talk with her close knit family, the people she recognizes. Extended relatives and a few measly encounters do not form a new bond in her mind. She repeats stories, she repeats sentences and she repeats questions. She poses for a picture with her sister, lifts up the bottom crease of her sweater and pulls out a bright pink scarf to swing over her neck. She illustrates a world of imagination and fun through the playful pose. She represents a disease of heartbreak and loss. The woman shows early signs of Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a merciless disease in the family that killed her brother and is grabbing hold of the rest of her siblings.

When I was five years old, my grandma quickly progressed into showing signs of alzheimer's and as the days went on it progressed into a very serious case of alzheimer's. As they discussed in their presentation, it was difficult for us all to deal with this situation but, even more so for me since I was so young and I simply could not understand why my own grandma could not remember my name anymore. I wasn't angry or guilty like they discussed in their presentation, I was confused and upset despite the number of times my parents tried to explain to me what was happening to my grandma. Consequently, this had an impact on our family which is why I think it is really important to talk about dementia and the effects on a family. Undoubtedly, it is difficult for the person displaying signs of dementia to go on living life as their health worsens over time, but it is also important to educate families on how to deal with such a difficult part of

An expert caregiver in dementia care is trained to be able to identify the progressive deterioration symptoms of the patient to take the next best course of action without springing sudden surprises that may be discouraging to the family members. These professional dementia caregivers are able to inform the family members of the progressive health of the patient gently to help members accept the condition of the patient.

“Alzheimer`s disease is called a family disease” (ALZlive), because it impacts every family member who is slowly watching a loved one decline. Alzheimer’s disease has an impact on caretakers because caregivers can lead to a variety of emotions, from guilt to anger. When dealing with a client who has Alzheimer; caretakers have a huge responsibility, which can cause stress or depression. If the caretaking is a family member it might lead to finical problems, which can lead to the hard and controversial decision of putting someone in a nursing home, that is better equipped. Guilt is the main emotion that a caretaker can express “I have never spoken to my mother`s doctor, it occurs to me that other children of

Alzheimer’s disease not only degrades a patient's quality of life during their final years, but additionally steals those precious years before death away from the families. This gruesome disease also affects my family; alzheimer’s runs on my grandmother’s side and has lead to the deterioration of many strong women. This personal connection has had a pivotal role in my life decisions and goals, leading me to pursue an M.D/Ph.D with a specialty in neurology in order to focus on the clinical research of Alzheimer’s disease. To take part in the NINDS program means gaining experience in the way that actual research runs, seeing how scientists and clinicians collaborate, and glimpsing into the life of a clinician. Thus, this experience will promote my career by providing an advantage over the competition when applying to medical schools, moreover giving me knowledge and experience to draw upon when entering into my own research.

My grandma was a hard working woman. Born out of the Great Depression, she was raised to be persevering, independent, thankful, and altruistic. She began working as soon as she completed her eighth grade year of school. She got up before dawn and she worked until the dead of night. She raised a family, she went to church every Sunday, she initiated the only Angel Tree foundation in the community, and she lived a fulfilling life.

Dementia is a generic term used to describe symptoms that indicate significant loss of intellectual and cognitive functions which includes memory, thinking and communication such as changes in social behaviour and problem solving and the ability to carry out day-today activities (Alzheimer’s society, 2014). The current estimate of people living with a form of dementia in the United Kingdom is around 850,000 and has predicted to increase to over 1 million by 2025 and over 2 million by 2051 (Alzheimer’s society, 2014). Of those affected with dementia, 90% eventually develop behavioural and psychological symptoms (Hort et al, 2010; Steinberg et al 2008). Behavioural and psychological symptoms include agitation, aggression, restlessness, depression and anxiety. These symptoms cause higher morbidity and a poorer quality of life for patients and carers (Nilamadhab, 2009; Cerejeira, 2012). More than one third of people living with dementia have behaved aggressively, particularly in the moderate to severe stages of the condition (Alzheimer’s society 2014). Reasons for aggressive behaviour

I am from South Brisbane (Logan area). I have been an aged and disability carer in the community for the last 5 years. When I first started in this role, I had a few clients that were living with dementia. It became obvious to me after a short amount of time, that I had not had enough training to give these people the support and understanding that they needed. I do not know how much dementia training other companies give to their staff, however, the company I work for only gives us about 2 hours a year. I want to have as much knowledge about this disease as I can, to be able to give my customers the care that is appropriate to their needs.