Late Life And Psychological Disorders

“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

2.2 Explain how positive interactions with individuals who have dementia can contribute to their wellbeing:

2. Explain how positive interactions with individuals who have dementia can contribute to their wellbeing.

Certain qualities are consistently observed in the Alzheimer’s victim. These dysfunction’s, though, are not exclusive to Alzheimer’s disease. Consequently, declaring Alzheimer’s by these parameters is a matter of degree rather than an absolute. Characteristic dysfunction’s have been noted in Alzheimer’s victims, but the degree and severity of these varies from patient to patient. Thus, evaluation of the patient’s mental status must be made based on the sum, rather than a single characteristic. Memory is one of the first noticed deficiencies, beginning typically with the recent and short term memory, and progressing from there as the disease grows more severe. In addition, deterioration in language skills, attention span, praxis (performance of an action), and visuospatial skills are commonly seen. Also observed are changes in the actions and personality of the Alzheimer’s victim. These include changes in mood, motor activities, activities of daily living, socialization skills, psychotic disturbances, vegetative symptomology, and rise in anxiety levels. Again, the

Q2. Describe how dementia can affect a person if the following areas of the brain are damaged by dementia.

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.

Unit-4, Q3. Explain how negative beliefs, values and misunderstandings can affect a person's attitude towards people with dementia. Unit-4, Q4. Explain how positive beliefs and values can affect a person's attitude towards a people with dementia. Unit-4, Q5. Describe the steps you can take to ensure a person with dementia feels valued , included and able to engage in daily life. Unit-4, Q6. Describe the practices that could make a person with dementia feel excluded. Unit-4, Q7. Explain why it is important to include individuals with dementia in all aspects of their care. Unit-4, Q8. Describe how an older person's experience of dementia may be different to a younger person who develops dementia. Unit-4, Q9. Mr Singh is a 75 year old gentleman who moved to England from India when he was in his 30s. Mr Singh is a practicing Sikh. He does speak English but because of his dementia he has reverted to only speaking in Punjabi. Describe the steps you could take to gain knowledge and understanding of Mr Singh's needs and preferences. Unit-4, Q10. Sophie is a 39 year old lady who has Down's syndrome. She has also developed dementia which is progressing quite quickly. Sophie has been admitted to a care facility which specialises in supporting people who have learning disabilities and also have dementia. Describe the knowledge and understanding that the staff would need in order to work in a person-centred way with Sophie.

The frontal lobe of the brain if affected by dementia can mean that the sufferer is ‘unaware’ that their behaviour is unacceptable, or not the ‘norm’. The sufferer can become agitated very quickly, and suffer from depression. They may be unaware of apparent dangers, and unable to recognise what is ‘acceptable’ or ‘unacceptable’ behaviours. They may have violent outbursts, and exhibit ‘threatening’ behaviour to others.

Dementia is an extremely common disease among the elderly, with 4 million Americans currently suffering from the Alzheimer’s type alone. Figures show that 3% of people between the ages of 65-74 suffer from the disease, rapidly increasing to 19% for the 75-84 age bracket, and as high as 47% for the over 85s. Therefore, it is easy to see why Dementia is such a large part of many people’s lives, whether they are suffering from the condition themselves, or have an elderly relative who requires full time care just to undertake simple day to day tasks. The disease can be extremely traumatic for the patient and their families, as the person, who may have been extremely lively and bright throughout their

Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia that causes memory loss, thinking, and behavioral issues. Nearly 5.4 million American’s are affected by Alzheimer’s. People who are affected begin with early-onset Alzheimer’s. One will experience symptoms such as confusion, mild memory loss, and speaking issues. The inheritance pattern of early-onset Alzheimer’s is autosomal dominant inheritance. This means that if you inherit the abnormal Alzheimer’s gene from a parent, you are likely to get the disease. Even though Alzheimer’s is a somewhat common disorder, the inheritance pattern of late-onset Alzheimer’s is still unknown. Although, scientists believe genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors play a role in a person’s risk for developing the disease.

In the pamphlet Basics of Alzheimer’s Disease, the Alzheimer’s Association adds late onset, traditionally known simply as Alzheimer’s, targets primarily people 65 and older. The disease follows a series of steps from mild decline with little noticed changes to very severe cognitive decline where the final stage of the disease is in progress (Basic 19-21). Throughout the stages, independence becomes lost and family members will become care takers and in the later stages nursing homes or hospice may be needed. One book encourages the care giver to communicate through body language, tone, and written instructions to help alleviate as much stress as possible for those living with Alzheimer’s (Living 47). The book further adds when caring for a person with Alzheimer’s remember to maintain patience and to show respect .

After Alzheimer's is diagnosed in a parent, or other elderly family member, the caregiver has the task of deciding what the best form of care for the patient is. In order to do this they have to fully understand what the disease is, and

Alzheimer’s is a disease that attacks the brain and can result in brain death. This disease is chronic and lately a lot of elderly are being diagnosed with it. Alzheimer’s disease can be referred to as a silent killer because once a person gets the diagnosis, they will have it permanently. Alzheimer’s Patients have a decreased short-term memory; this can result with the onset of confusion. At times, families with loved ones that encounter this disease usually have to change their lifestyle by adjusting it to their love ones needs. This book shows a great outlook on dilemmas families come across when a loved one is diagnosed with this disease.

Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 out of every 8 people in the United States. It is a long and debilitating disease that affects every aspect of a person’s life from the way they preform daily tasks, to the physical and mental abilities that are diminishing. Along with the lifestyle changes that Alzheimer’s disease presents, it also affects one’s psychological perspective as well their view on what they can offer their family and society. There are some ways to maintain a level of independence with a disease of this magnitude but there are also factors in lifestyle choices that can make it worse. Alzheimer cannot be cured, it cannot be slowed, but there are ways to keep the effected person at a certain level of comfort, independence and safety

The aim of this study is to bring awareness to Alzheimer’s Disease. It is important noting that Alzheimer’s disease does not only affect the patient but also their family and caregiver. This research was conducted at St. Josephs Hospital Medical Nursing Home. We selected 10 medically diagnosed Alzheimer’s patients. We divided the patients into 2 groups. The first group consisted of patients that had a lot of moral support and affection from their families. In this group was also the grandmother of one of the contributors to this paper. The second group consisted of patients that do not receive moral support or have not seen their family for a long time.