Case study 5: Dementia (Alzheimer’s Disease) Patient description: SW is a 69 year old man, he is 5’9”, weighs 173 lbs. His blood pressure is 122/80 mmHg and total cholesterol is 204mg/dl, HDL-C is 47 mg/dl. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 2 years ago, shortly after retiring from a career as a financial advisor. He has now reached symptoms consistent with stage 4 of the disease http://www.alzheimers.net/stages-of-alzheimers-disease/ .…
A study shows that even though symptoms of dementia are present a diagnosis is not performed until an average of 20 months later. One of the key factors of why diagnosis is so late is because it is often hard for people to differentiate the difference between normal ageing and dementia (Bond et al. 2013). Family members play an important role in assessing wether a diagnosis is required as they should be able to differentiate between ageing and dementia. Whilst there is no cure for dementia, if an early diagnosis for dementia is made it could substantially improve the quality of life of someone who has dementia by either alleviating some of the symptoms or by hampering the development of dementia. If an early diagnosis is made this can allow the person with dementia and the their family to better prepare for of dementia by utilizing facilities such as a memory clinics or respite services, there are also several types of medication such as Cholinesterase inhibitors that can assist in stopping the progression of dementia. (Boyd,…
we should remember that some of these patient are forgetful, stressful life events is going on at home…
Patients suffering from Dementia - ‘The word dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language.’…
The revise primary diagnostic codes and other factors that presented in Ben's case study are:…
Alzheimer’s disease has been referred to as the “family disease”. Care for an individual with Alzheimer’s can be very difficult to cope with. It has a greater impact on the family members involved with the individual suffering from this disease, than other chronic diseases. There are support groups that can help family members adjust to this life changing disease. Alzhiemer’s disease also has an effect on businesses. Businesses are effected when they have employees who are also caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s disease. These cost to the business owners, includes paying out for: absenteeism; productivity losses; worker replacement cost; continuing insurance for workers on leave and temporary worker replacement fees; and Employee Assistance…
The increased availability of successful treatments for dementia and dementia-related illnesses means there is a substantial need for increased early identification of cognitive impairment, particularly in the geriatric population. Using a reliable and valid tool that clinicians can quickly implement facilitates early identification and allows the person to receive prompt treatment. Early identification and intervention in the form of medication and behavioral therapy may slow disease progression, delay functional decline, allow for pre-planning, and postpone nursing home placement. This tool can be used to detect cognitive impairment quickly during both routine visits and hospitalizations.…
Fixed cognitive impairments are due to a single event. Traumatic brain injury may cause generalized damage to the white matter of the brain or localized damages. A temporary reduction in the supply of blood and oxygen to the brain may lead to this type of dementia. A stroke or brain infection can also be the cause of dementia. Excessive alcoholic intake results in alcoholic dementia. Use of recreational drugs cause substance induced dementia. Once the over use of these drugs are stopped he impairment persists but may not progress. Dementia which begins gradually and worsens progressively over several years is usually caused by neurodegenerative disease; that is, by conditions affecting only or primarily the neurons of the brain and causing gradual but irreversible loss of function of these cells. Less commonly, a non-degenerative condition may have secondary effects on brain cells, which may or may not be reversible if the condition is treated. The causes of dementia depend on the age at which symptoms begin. In the elderly population, a large majority of cases of dementia are caused by Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia or both. It is rare to have dementia in young people, Among youngsters also the major dementia observed is Alzheimer's disease. People who are affected by frequent head trauma, like boxers and football players are risk of dementia. Other than alcohol, drugs and psychiatric reasons certain genetic disorders also can cause dementia.…
The term 'dementia' is used to describe the symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions. Symptoms of dementia include loss of memory, confusion and problems with speech and understanding.…
This article provides a framework and guidelines for gathering information and treating the elderly. The article discusses the holistic approach of looking at patients and recording information for the care of older adults. The article focused on listening, observing and gathering information related to symptoms. They expand idea associated with gathering information about emotional and psychological needs of the patient. They also mention the use standardize assessment and how they can be beneficial for gathering necessary information.…
Cognitive health problems can be due to various reasons. They can be due to environmental factors, hormonal imbalances as well as nutritional deficiency. Some people might face issues due to the kind of injuries they might have to face. Some people face this problem due to alcohol or drug abuse. This kind of disorder can create problems in personal and professional lives as they include symptoms like confusion, improper judgment, and memory loss and so on. You can refer the online information on medicines and supplements “used for treating various cognitive ailments and diseases”.…
Bush,T (2007) Use of cognitive assessment with Alzheimer’s disease: Nursing Times,2007 Jan 9-15 ; 103(2): 31-2 (9ref) (Accessed: 02 ,November ,2011)…
One of the most common vulnerable populations are those individuals with a cognitive disorder such as Alzheimer’s disease. People with advanced AD are more challenging to assist in a health care setting because of their difficulty with expressing their needs. Health care professionals must use their strong assessment skills to determine what the persons needs are.…
Mental illness is not a choice… but recovery is. Medical researchers and doctor have agonized and strived to find an effective treatment for neurological illnesses; endeavoring to bypass egregious treatment trials. Alzheimer’s disease specialist have not yet found a cure for the illness. As medicine advances, medical innovators have found a treatment to stagnate or decelerate alzheimer's disease. This treatment involves receiving medication. Dementia can also be treated with medication. Another treatment for dementia patients of the use of therapies such as rehabilitation of occupational therapies. Rehabilitation therapies play a high role in the treatment of dementia. Rehabilitation attends to the brain function, to reach the goal of improving…
Nurses can no longer take a reactive approach to these issues due to the scope and complexity of the issues. Nursing staff should adopt a more proactive approach and carefully plan the care for patients who have dementia (Dewing, 2001: GP and Residential Aged Care Kit, 2006). There are models of care that can be followed, which help to reduce the stress factors for these patients, thus in turn reducing the stress, frustration and aggravation for the nursing staff. These models of care have also been proven to enhance the level of care and improve the quality of life for…