Alzheimer’s Disease. Gerontology Issues Health, Medicine Essay

Alzheimer’s Disease
4/5/19
Alzheimer’s disease
The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s illness causes memory loss and other mental abilities sufficient enough to disrupt with daily life. A situation of a fifty-seven-year-old male patient happened when the patient visited the dispensary clinic, with complaints of progressive cognitive decrease which had begun three years earlier. Operating as an industrial researcher, he started making severe calculation errors that forced him to resign the job and start operating as a manager in a firm. However, his usual forgetfulness, along with irritation in late memory incapacities obstructed him from accomplishing his roles, forcing him to change jobs repeatedly. Apathy and Apraxia had started two years prior to his visit to the clinic, and confusion to person and time was worsened to an extent which it became difficult to move daily between his home and workplace. At the time of his visit to the clinic, not only was he discharged from his job, but he frequently required a reminder from his family to sustain hygiene. His sleep disruption became notable, occasionally waking in the middle of the night self-talking. From the patient’s case, it is important for researchers to resume researching for ways of treating and preventing Alzheimer’s disease, and also nurses should continue learning how to be more efficient in dementia and Alzheimer’s care. Alzheimer’s disease affects the society and health care in some ways such as care, cost of treatment and support, and also influences the nursing role especially in health care.
Demographics of Alzheimer’s Disease
Statistics show that Alzheimer's disease most commonly affects people over the age of sixty-five years (Sergiev, Dontsova, &Berezkin, 2015). The precise cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not entirely known, but some things are considered to raise the risk to develop the condition. These elements include a family account of the condition, aging, lifestyle conditions and factors related to cardiovascular illnesses. Over five million people living in America are living with Alzheimer's condition, with a sixty-eight percent increase between 2000 and 2010 (Odgers, 2018). Age is the common risk factor of the condition and added together; there will be a significant rise in the number of people living with the condition by 2050.
It is clear from the statistics that Alzheimer's condition affects individuals of age between sixty-five and above, so it is a health concern because as time passes by, more and more people will develop the condition.
Family and Societal Impacts
The effects of Alzheimer’s condition can be overwhelming to the entire family and society especially when a member develops and is diagnosed with the disease. When one is diagnosed with the condition, the diagnosis can set off a span of emotions including fear, sadness, anger, and frustrations (Odgers, 2018). The family needs to make many decisions about care, treatment, finances, living plans, and end of life management. As a result, family disputes are common. According to the caregiver manual, it is crucial to define who will run the decision-making process, how the ...