People with Alzheimer’s disease have impaired abilities due to the destruction of nerve cells in the brain (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2011). Alzheimer’s disease is a “degenerative brain disease of unknown cause that is the most common form of dementia, that results in progressive memory loss, impaired thinking, disorientation, and changes in personality and mood, that leads in advanced cases to a profound decline in cognitive and physical functioning” (Merium-Webster dictionary). Alzheimer’s typically occurs in the geriatric population and affects an estimated one in eight people over the age of sixty-four (Arbesman & Lieberman, 2011). Occupational therapy practitioners can help individuals who are diagnosed with this disease through many avenues. Some of the goals of occupational therapy for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease are to create, restore, maintain, modify and prevent further deterioration of occupational performance (Schaber, 2010).
The occupational therapy (OT) practitioner strives to address the specific needs of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the challenges that their caregivers face using evidence-based practices (EBP) (Arbesman & Lieberman, 2011). The practitioner identifies occupational deficits, sets goals, and helps their patients and caregivers carry out compensatory and envrionmental adaptations (Letts, et al., 2011). For example, a client with AD will most likely have a decrease in short term memory and, therefore, resulting communication difficulties as their disease progresses. Tasks that would have been easy in the past, such as making telephone calls, become a frustrating chore. In six different case studies by Topo, Jylha, and Laine, AD clients showed an improvement ...
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... J., Moros, K., O'Neill, C., O'Tool, C., & McGrath, C. (2011). Using occupations to improve quality of life, health and wellness, and client and caregiver satisfaction for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 497-504.
Letts, L., Minezes, J., Edwards, M., Berenyi, J., Moros, K., & O'Neill, C. O. (2011). Effectiveness of interventions designed to modify and maintain perceptual abilities in people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 505-513.
Ridge, E., & Robnett, R. (2009, May 11). In their own words: the emotional experience of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. OT Practice. pp. 18-21.
Schaber, P. (2010). Occupational therapy practice guidlines for adults with alzheimer's disease and related disorders. American occuational therapy association, 198.
Informal supports, such as aid for housekeeping and running errands, are crucial to maintaining the lifestyle of individuals with Alzheimer’s in the community; however, the disease’s erosion of physical, cognitive, and communicative abilities often creates tremendous strain for family caregivers. Individuals and family caregivers dealing with Alzheimer’s often experience increasing social isolation as the disease’s progression undermines both mobility and the capacity for meaningful and appropriate engagement with the community (Banerjee et al., 2003). A number of studies have documented the physical and mental health costs borne by unsupported caregivers, and the link between caregiver stress and the institutionalization of their ill family members (Andren & Elmstahl, 2005; Banerjee et al., 2003). Taken together, the stress and isolation of dealing with Alzheimer’s disease undermine the health and quality of life of everyone involved, eventually precipitating institutionalization.
Dementia is common among a large population of elderly people. The disease affects not only the individual diagnosed, but also the caregivers that work towards making their life comfortable in the end. Understanding and learning about the disease is crucial in helping those that experience or live with someone who has dementia. The services and support that are currently in affect for elderly people with dementia and the caregivers is poor, and ineffective because of the lack of research and information on the topic.
(Davidson, F. G.) Due to the nature of dementia being a neuropsychological disorder, those affected by the disease tend to look like they will not require much care, which, in reality, they often require more care than the caregiver originally expected, leading to stress and burnout. Another effect caused by this can be the caregiver blaming themselves by feeling like they are failing to give proper care, which, in reality, can often be very far from the truth. If the caregiver does not receive help from anyone else, the task of watching over the victim becomes a daunting twenty for hour task. Sometimes, the caregiver won’t be allowed quality sleep. Over 66 percent of home caregivers suffer from some form of psychological or physical illness. The most common illness that is resulted from giving care to Alzheimer’s disease is depression. The caregiver needs to monitor their emotional well-being as well as the well-being as the person that they are giving care to. Usually, giving care to those with dementia is actually more stressful than giving care to those with cancer. When the caregiver is a family member and not a professional, the emotional toll is often even greater. It is important for caregivers to remember that they need to take care of themselves first and
performance that involves, but is not limited to, a loss in at least 2 of the
I worked with Dementia and Alzheimer patients as a Certified Nursing Assistant for almost three years. Working with the elderly has been one of my greatest achievements. I assisted my residents with bathing, grooming and making them feel comfortable. I was able to create a favorable environment for my residents while working with them. I had the opportunity to see patients go from early stage to their last stage of dementia. This gave me an opportunity to want to do more for people who are in need of my care. From my experience, I learnt that nursing is not just a job; it’s a responsibility and a calling, and it requires that you derive joy in what you are doing even in the toughest moment of caring for your
Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made.
The focus of this paper is to compare and contrast a well elder and a frail elder while using Occupational Therapy Practice Framework language. For this assignment I chose to conduct a semi structured interview using the Canadian Occupational performance Measure (COPM) to gather information about my chosen elders perceived problems and priorities. For this assignment I will be using pseudonyms in order to protect the privacy of both individuals.
In this day and age, it seems as though almost everyone has experience a loved one taken away form a very serious disease known as Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is unbelievably devastating for everyone affected by it. This disease is causing major economical problems such as less occupancy in the nursing homes, and hospitals due to the rising population of elderly men and women being diagnosed with it everyday. Because there is not yet a cure for this disease and the percent of the population being diagnosed keeps rapidly rising, more time and money needs to go towards Alzheimer’s research.
Alzheimer's Disease Introduction to Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain. It was first described by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915). in 1905. This disease worsens with advancing age, although there is no evidence. that it is caused by the aging process.
Alzheimer’s disease is a serious disease which causes people to behave in a challenging way for their family and caregivers to manage. These behaviours are caused by damage to the brain that leads to psychological and functional impairment. Due to this impairment the people with AD are often neglected and labelled by the society. Family caregivers play a massive role in the care of their loved ones with AD. Patients and family caregivers often experience stress in dealing with all the obstacles that Alzheimer’s disease put them through.
Imagine attempting simple everyday tasks and struggling because of confusion or memory loss. Well unfortunately, this is what it is like for many people with dementia. The severity of dementia ranges from person to person, but is there anything that can help? Music therapy, for one, can actually be tremendously helpful for those with dementia in more ways than the average person might think.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, terminal, degenerative brain disease. It is the fourth leading cause of death in adults and currently affects over four million people in the United States. This number is expected to increase over the next several years as the baby boomers age, until it reaches fourteen million by the year 2025.
Alzheimer’s Disease is a major problem in the United States at this time. One problem is the stress that gets put on family members of the patient. According to the “Alzheimer’s Disease” article, back in 2006 the average cost of care for a patient who just recently got diagnosed is $18,500 per year. Care for elders who are in the later stages of the disease average at about $36,000 per year. This puts a big burden on the families who have to come up with the money to support their loved one(s). Another problem associated with Alzheimer’s Disease is the emotional distress it puts on families. All the emotional and physical stress comes from many different reasons. According to the National Institution of Health “The demands of day-to-day care, changing family roles, and difficult decisions about placement in a care facility can be hard to handle.” Having to take care of someone who can not even recognize you, let alone themselves, is a very stressful situation. Although this disease is an extremely big problem in the US today it is still preventable.
Philadelphia, USA: Churchill Livingstone. Kerr, D. (2007). The 'Standard'. Understanding Learning Disability and Dementia: Developing Effective Interventions (1st ed.). London, UK: Jessica Kingsley.
STEEMAN, E., DE CASTERLÉ, B. D., GODDERIS, J. & GRYPDONCK, M. 2006. Living with early-stage dementia: a review of qualitative studies. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 54, 722-738.