Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Patient Care

Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Patient Care

Question

The importance of communication with families for effective long-term patient care

Communication with families is an essential part of long-term patient care and has a positive impact on health. Clear communication with family members helps them better assess the situation, overcome misconceptions, serve as a guide for patient care and support, understand disease status and outcomes, and understand available treatments and care. It helps you understand your options and make decisions. Please ask for help. When the patient’s family is involved, treatment becomes more effective and cooperation becomes more sustainable. In the case of ES, an investigation into the incident revealed that the son did not have a clear understanding of the disease. Using pathophysiological knowledge to explain the condition should help clear up misconceptions. Pathophysiology must be presented in simple and clear language for families to understand (Aliyu, et al., 2015).

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease and one of the most common causes of dementia. Approximately 65-85% of dementia cases are caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The disease is progressive and affects cognitive function and memory. Neural connections and brain cells in the brain degenerate over time, impairing critical mental abilities to perform even everyday tasks. Memory loss, confusion, aggression, lack of identification with family and situations, and even a lack of understanding language can also cause Alzheimer’s disease. Two specific findings related to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease are the presence of extracellular beta-amyloid deposits and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. Beta-amyloid deposition and tangles cause degeneration of synapses and neurons and subsequent brain atrophy (Twohig & Nielsen, 2019).

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease is similar to diagnosing dementia, using a variety of tests and interviews. This testing includes assessing an individual’s mental and cognitive abilities through a mental status exam, neurophysiological testing to address cognitive issues or difficulties with memory or thinking skills, and closed-ended testing to properly evaluate symptoms clinically. Includes interviews with individuals (Gore, Vardy, etc.). T. O’Brien, 2015). Testing also includes a physical exam to check reflexes, muscle movements, balance and coordination, and the ability to perform normal tasks, as well as vision and hearing tests to rule out other similar symptoms. Blood tests are done to rule out thyroid disease or deficiency. Brain imaging tests such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT (computed tomography), and PET (positron emission tomography) scans can rule out hemorrhage and stroke, differentiate between various brain degenerative diseases, and detect brain atrophy.

Biomarkers and their role in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in living organisms
PET scans are extremely useful in determining the final diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in living patients by studying glucose metabolism using radioactive substances that track as biomarkers in the body and distinguishing it from other brain diseases. It’s effective. One example is a fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET scan. Developed through modernization of PET (Jack, et al., 2016). The final diagnosis is made only after death by autopsy and examination of brain tissue using clinical means. Biomarker assessment is the best way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in living individuals. (www.nia.nih.gov, 2021)

Alzheimer’s disease and delirium share many symptoms, including confusion, abnormal behavior, and hallucinations, making it difficult to distinguish between the two diseases. However, there are some differences in various aspects of the disease that can be recognized by experienced medical professionals (Lippmann & Perugula, 2016).

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that follows an insidious pattern, with no known cure and is irreversible. Treatment is aimed at controlling the disease and reducing symptoms, including memory-enhancing drugs and behavioral therapy. Delirium comes on suddenly and is a temporary condition if treated properly and in a timely manner. The main difference between Alzheimer’s disease and delirium is that the former is irreversible, whereas the latter is short-lived and requires effective intervention. In delirium, symptoms fluctuate throughout the day and seem to be more severe at night. Therapeutic approaches target the pathogen (FitzGerald, et al., 2019).

Delirium can be caused by other medical problems, toxicity, or environmental factors. However, in Alzheimer’s disease, there are various external factors mentioned above as well as an underlying genetic predisposition that causes anatomical and deeper structural changes in the brain that cause the disease (Sims, Hill, & Williams, 2020 ). Delirium affects attention, while Alzheimer’s disease is associated with memory loss, which is also a defining feature.

As for symptoms, hallucinations are more common in delirium than in dementia, and a similar tendency is seen in cases of slurred speech.

The interaction between her son and her E.S. and the case study show that it can reveal the abuse that women have to undergo. The son appeared to be threatening the woman, telling her that there would be dire consequences and that drastic measures would be taken. In another case, the woman said her son had done everything he could but was found wandering. Her son said he made a mistake closing the door after washing her dishes, which may have trapped her inside. The son said that monitoring her would require detailed discussions between the woman and her family, which could increase tension and frustration and lead to verbal abuse and other forms of elder abuse ( Corbi, et al., 2015). After examining the woman’s condition and her family’s problems, it becomes clear that she is in a difficult situation and needs her help. As a patient advocate and someone committed to patient welfare, it is imperative that she reports abuse to the appropriate authorities from a legal and ethical perspective (Cho, et al., 2015).

Key Differences Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Delirium

The son is worried that he too will get the same disease as his mother. Although the aforementioned person is aware of the genetic aspects of the disease, he is skeptical about his chances of developing the disease (Guerreiro, et al., 2019). In this case, I listen to my son and reassure him that there is no need to be afraid or think that he will definitely suffer from this disease. I recommend him to consult an appropriate doctor to help assess his condition and the likelihood of its development. The doctor can further assist him with diagnostic help and professional advice (Hsu, & A Marshall, 2017). At the same time, we recommend that you take preventative measures such as lifestyle changes such as changing your diet and lifestyle, as well as exercise that provides mental stimulation, such as getting into the habit of learning and memorizing new things. In addition, it is recommended to avoid ingesting toxic substances and constantly monitor your health.

I will help you understand the best care for your family so that you can effectively manage your situation. I recommend creating a routine to maintain a daily lifestyle and create repetitive activities so that she is less likely to get confused (Cheng, et al., 2016). At the same time, we ask you to minimize distractions and change your surroundings to reduce the risk of falls, injury, and self-harm. Help her by fixing her tracking device and her address so that she can get home safely even in serious situations. Above all, patience and a positive environment (Dawson, et al., 2015). I would also advise you to seek help and follow your doctor’s recommendations regarding medications and care.

References

Aliyu, D., Adeleke, I.T., Omonyi, S.O., Samaira, B. A., Adamu, A., and Abubakar, A. Y. (2015). Knowledge, attitudes and practices of nursing ethics and nursing law among nurses at the Federal Medical Center in Vida. American Journal of Health Research, 3(1-1), 32-37. Cheng、

S.T.、Mak、E.P.、Lau、R.W.、Ng、N.S.、Lam、L. C. (2016). Voices of Alzheimer’s disease caregivers regarding positive aspects of care. Gerontology, 56(3), 451-460.

Cho, O. H., Cha, K. S. & Yu, Y. S. (2015). Emergency nurses’ awareness and attitudes toward violence and abuse. Clinical Research 9(3), 213-218.

Corbi , G. , Grattagliano , I. , Ivsina , E. , Ferrara , N. , Cipriano , A. S. , and Campovasso , C.P. (2015). Elder abuse: Risk factors and the role of caregiving. Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine, 10(3), 297-303.

Dawson, A., Bowes, A., Kelly, F., Werske, K., and Ward, R. (2015). Evidence on what supports and sustains home care for people with dementia: a literature review using a systematic approach. BMC Journal of Medicine, 15(1), 1-17.

FitzGerald , J.M. , Perera , G. , Chang-Tave , A. , Price , A. , Rajkumar , A. P. , Bhattarai , M. … & Mueller , C. . (2019). Incidence of delirium episodes recorded before and after dementia diagnosis: differences between Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of the American Association of Medical Directors, 20(5), 604-609.

Gore, R.L., Vardy, E. R. & T. O’Brien, J. (2015). Lewy body delirium and dementia: different diagnoses or part of the same spectrum? Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 86(1), 50-59.

Guerreiro, R., Escot-Price, V., Hernandez, D. G., Kuhn-Rodriguez, C., Ross, O.A., Ohm, T., … & International Parkinson’s Disease Genomics Consortium. (2019). Heritability and genetic variation in Lewy body dementia. Neurobiology of Disease, 127, 492-501.

Hsu, D. & A. Marshall, G. (2017). Research on primary and secondary prevention of Alzheimer’s disease: Reviews, perspectives. Current Alzheimer Research, 14(4), 426-440.

Jack, C.R., Bennett, D.A., Brenow, K., Carrillo, M.C., Feldman, H.H., Frisoni, G. B., … & Dubois, B. (2016). A/T/N: An unbiased descriptive classification scheme for Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers. Neurology, 87(5), 539-547.

Lipman, S. & Pelgra, M. L. (2016). Delirium or dementia? Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, 13(9-10), 56. Sims, R., Hill, M., and Williams, J. (2020). Multiple models of Alzheimer’s disease genetics. Nature Neuroscience, 23(3), 311-322.

Twohig, D. & Nielsen, H. M. (2019). α-synuclein in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Molecular Neurodegeneration, 14(1), 1-19.

www.nia.nih.gov, 2021, How is Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed? Get the dollar: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-alzheimers-disease-diagnosed