The Problem Based Learning # 1 : Alzheimer 's Disease

The memoir went exactly how I thought it would be. Bette Ann Markowitz’s situation of taking care of a parent who has Alzheimer is very common; having an aging parent who can no longer fend for themselves. Markowitz is not an only child so she had to constantly consult her sibling on “what is the best option” (Moskowitz41),

C. She would confuse much younger family members as being her parents or a friend she had not seen since grade school.

When it comes to Alzheimer’s, I know firsthand how it affects individuals and their families. My great grandfather had Alzheimer’s for many years before his passing late last year, at age 92. Alzheimer’s is a disease that many individuals suffer with each year, but yet with all the advancements in modern medicine we still have no cure for it. There are different ways to conquer this disease, understanding the causes, knowing effects, and researching possible treatments.

‘A retired teacher, Betty (65 years old), was diagnosed with Dementia. She lived at home with her husband Arthur (70 years old) who had been caring for her for several years. When she was diagnosed, No information was given to the couple. They had no relatives that they could rely on around them for support.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the nerve cells, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and skills, and behavioral changes (America, 2014). This disease now has a huge impact on my own life, and the lives of those who are closest to me. Around the age of 67, my grandma started forgetting things periodically. I can remember her saying, “Where did I put those keys?” “I just had them.” People did not think much of it; they just figured that she was getting older. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Now, three years later, she is living a much different and confusing life then she had in the past. Her independence is fading and she must have someone with her most, if not all of the time. The once independent woman is so lost yet at the same time she doesn’t really realize it. Luckily, the progression is not happening as fast as they thought it could. She definitely has her days, and some are just better than others for her. She does not remember those who weren’t close to her. She does not even recognize acquaintances. Through out her life, she had good health. Besides the usual cold and flu, my mother said that she doesn’t remember her having any other major health issues. Now, with the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, her health has seemed to decline with the passing years. Yes, she is aging, but it seems to be more than that. The fact that she no longer takes good care of herself has a lot to do with it.

Alzheimer’s is a disease in the brain that affects a person’s memory, thinking, and behavior. It is the most common form of dementia and is common in adults older than 65. More than five million Americans are being affected by Alzheimer’s at this moment. Alzheimer’s comes in three stages; early, middle, and advanced. The disease is caused by the shrinking of the brain due to many risk factors and genetics.

“I want to tell you how much I miss my mother. Bits of her are still there. I miss her most when I sit across from her” was said by Candy Crawley. This quote is displaying how Alzheimer's disease can affect an individual and that person’s family and friends. Everyone in the world desires to keep the ones closest to that individual safe. Many people do not understand how traumatizing Alzheimer's disease is or can be. No one knows for sure what causes the disease. It could have a huge, dramatic alternation on any person’s life in an instant. It can be traumatizing because Alzheimer’s has many side effects, physical or emotional, to the individual. There are several reasons to why people in the world should know more about Alzheimer's disease,

Agustin was a 76-year-old male, who lived in a comfortable home with his wife Juana in Hastings, NE. He was a healthy man, until his wife started noticing that something was different about him. Over time, Juana would start to notice that Agustin would forget simple things such as the date &time and would go to the store and forget to bring back the food she had requested. This concerned Juana, so, she convinced Agustin to go to the emergency room. Once at the emergency room, Dr. Matthew, began to ask Agustin some questions about his medical and family history. Turns out, Agustin’s family had a history of Alzheimer’s. Nonetheless, the doctors wanted to be sure about the diagnosis, so they decided to perform some mental and verbal tests on Agustin.

As baby boomers age and the demographic of the nation changes, it is with increasing frequency that the terms dementia, Alzheimer’s, and chronic cognitive decline are included in common vocabulary. Television viewers are inundated with advertisements for Alzheimer’s medications. Popular sitcoms include episodes about dealing with the stresses that can occur in a family dealing with cognitive decline issues. Entire movies, such as Still Alice, speak to these issues from the perspective of the patient. Chronic cognitive decline has been brought to the forefront of the American culture not only in homes across the country but in the healthcare system where the challenges of recognizing, treating, and managing these conditions while providing quality of care can be challenging.

It is a complex disease people often times do not know how to care for. Although a decline in memory and bouts of more forgetfulness are more common as one ages, spotting the difference between normal age-related symptoms and Alzheimer’s is important for families so that they can get their loved one the best care available. Even with proper care though, caregivers can misunderstand the symptoms of those afflicted, leading to an improper treatment of the patient. There are an estimated between 2.4 and 3.1. million AD caregivers in the United States, a majority of which are family members, who may not know proper care techniques or may be of older age themselves, as they could be caring for a spouse (Schulz and O’Brien1, 185-94). In fact, in a study of caregivers of those to patients with a memory ailment including Alzheimer’s or Dementia found that spouses have consistently been found to be more depressed than other relatives caring for a family member with a cognitive impairment (Schulz and O’Brien2, 771-91). To help in awareness, there are many new classes being offered in schools that can better prepare caregivers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s (DHHS) National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease dedicated a major goal to “Enhance Care Quality and Efficiency,” with major strategies including building a workforce with the skills to provide high quality care, explore

I geared the first part of my interview towards understanding the measures that average people take towards the prevention and the medication that they get. I was able to understand that people with Alzheimer’s have to learn to accept that their Alzheimer’s would only worsen, as I was told that there is no cure, but only medication

My memorable journey onto the Alzheimer’s world begins in my late twenties. I used to work as an activity director in a retirement home for senior citizens. I just knew for protocol that more than a quarter of the total population of the residents was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s as a secondary diagnose.

Ann is seventy-seven-year-old that was diagnosed with moderately advanced Alzheimer’s disease two years ago. She has periods of confusion, frustration, anger and obsessive thinking. When Ann began to realize her health was deteriorating, she and her husband Frank discussed their wishes should anything happen to them. Ann stated she would not want to be hooked to a breathing machine if she had no chance of survival and no papers were ever signed regarding this. Frank sincerely loved Ann, they were married for sixty years. As Ann’s Alzheimer’s progressed, Frank started to take care of Ann by cooking for her and cleaning all while watching her health decline. Eventually, for Ann’s safety she was admitted to a long term care facility. After three weeks in the nursing facility Ann developed pneumonia and was transported to the local hospital and started on

Alzheimer’s disease is a very slowly progressive disease that occurs inside the brain in which is characterized by damage of memory. Also this type of disease can lead into interruption in language, problem solving, planning and perception. The chance of a person developing Alzheimer’s disease increases enormously after the age of 70 (Crystal, 2009). Also people who are over the age of 85 have over a 50 percent chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This type of disease is not at all normal in the aging process and is also not something that happens out of no where in a person’s life.

In this explanation, we learned that handling Alzheimer’s patients will not always be easy. We were recommended to have a lot of patience and a lot of compassion for these patients. We greeter the patients individually and introduced ourselves. They seemed very confused at first but were really thankful to have someone to talk to.