Alzheimer's Outcome Goal

Imagine greeting your grandmother and being met with a blank stare. Think about how it would feel to watch as your father forgets how to drive or dress himself. Picture your own mother crying out for her long dead parents and siblings. Try to envision the look on a loved one’s face as you tell them that they can no longer live at home alone. Now put yourself in their place-- slowly losing your freedom, your memory, and your very identity. Welcome to the world of Alzheimer’s disease. This is the reality that nearly fifteen million caregivers and over five million patients must face every day. Public awareness must be raised about Alzheimer’s disease and the people it affects.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects everyone involved: the victim and his/her’s loved ones. First of all, caregivers are often overlooked, and never realized for what sacrifices they give up to care for their loved one. Secondly, the financial burden of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is a big job that can hurt the opportunities that needed more time to get a better degree. Thirdly, although the victim of Alzheimer’s disease is the ill one, usually, they aren’t the only one suffering from this terrible disease. People must know that the caregivers are fighting just as much as the victim of the disease.

The number of people with dementia is escalating worldwide. An estimated 35.6 million people worldwide had dementia in 2010 and this number is projected to more than triple to 115.4 million in 2050. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and contributes to 60-70 % of the dementia cases (WHO, 2012). Approximately 5.2 million Americans of all ages had Alzheimer’s in 2014, including an estimated 5 million people age 65 and older (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). The escalating number of people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is affecting increasing number of lives and the systems that care for them. It is disabling to the individuals who have it and can be devastating to the caregivers and their families. Caring for people with dementia posits huge major challenges in the upcoming decades. Therefore, the issues related to dementia such as negative stereotypes, need for attitude change and the ways to promote positive attitude toward people with dementia should be critically investigated and addressed to be better prepared in the future to tackle the challenges likely to be faced with escalating number of people with dementia.

Alzheimer's care is not designed to replace family care and support. Rather, it is there so the family can effectively provide care and support with the best information, guidance, and assistance. From help with the daily chores such as light housekeeping, laundry, and meal preparation to transportation, personal care, and even help eating, Alzheimer's care allows the family to focus on the most important part of the care: spending quality time with their loved

This program evaluation examines the effectiveness of maintaining the emotional, intellectual, and social functioning of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and the assistance in which caregivers receive through support groups as provided by Respite and Research for Alzheimer’s disease agency located in San Jose, California, serving the elderly in the adult day program. Respite and Research for Alzheimer’s Disease is a nonprofit corporation that was established in 1984. The Alzheimer’s Activity Center was established in San Jose’s Willow Glen area in 1986 ("Respite and Research for

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most prominent health issue in older adults. In fact, more than 35 million people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease worldwide. (D’Aoust, Brewster, & Rowe, 2013) Of these individuals, a good portion are taken care of by at home caregivers. These caregivers can described by husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers. “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic, progressive illness characterized by impaired cognition, loss of ability in instrumental and basic activities of daily living (aDL), reduced global functioning, and behavioral and psychological symptoms” (Haro, Kahle-Wrobleski, Belger, Agnello, Jones, Reed, Vellas, Wimo, & Argimon, Pg. 677, 2014) As the amount of patients with Alzheimer’s disease

From a public health perspective, dementia presents challenging issues to the sufferer, carers, and the health services (DH, 2009). The world Alzheimer Report (2013) indicates that the number

The authors opines that due to the advances in medicine our life expectancy is likely to extend and many of us will be called upon to be caregivers for someone in our family who requires special care. This book guides and educates readers on what can be done from a caregiver's standpoint to be better equipped to nurture people living with Alzheimer's disease. This book is authoritative as it packed with tips and techniques from five authorities in the field, and provides insights such as: What caregiving style will suit me best? What skills are likely to remain as Alzheimer's disease progresses? How do I balance my needs with the needs of the person I'm caring for? And much more! The most important tenet of this book is that we can better care

The targeted audience for my thesis is patients, friends, and family members going through or with someone who has the disease. Caregiving for someone with Alzheimer’s disease can be tough physically and emotionally. Becoming well informed about the disease is the first step to deciding the type of care giving a person chooses for their loved one.

Alzheimer’s disease has many affects on the patient’s family. It’s important to determine what the family’s needs are, and what they need to be educated on as they watch the disease progress. Family members need to be aware of the numerous resources available for them and their loved one, especially for when their health deteriorates. Some available resources include: Home health services, respite care, long term care. We need to provide support to the families, and there are many local support groups that they can attend. Respite care should be offered to give the family members a break. Family members need to let their feelings out, we need to encourage them to be honest with themselves, and to not bottle anything inside. Adult day care

In 2011, a care program (Palliative care for advanced dementia) for older adults with dementia was crafted in Beatitude Campus, a LeadingAge member in Arizona. This program focused predominantly on the needs of dementia patients, putting their needs first and working around their schedules. Later, in 2015, the Alzheimer’ Association-New York Chapter along with 3 other LeadingAge members adopted a comparable program called comfort first. The objective of the Alzheimer’ Association-New York Chapter was to improve the way nursing homes cared for dementia patients. Ann Wyatt was then appointed to take care to the next level by collaborating with nursing homes employing this program. In her attempt to do so, she reached out to the program co-directors

The article I decided to go with was “Special Nursing Home Units for Residents with Primary Degenerative Dementia: Alzheimer's disease”. The reason I went with this article was because I wanted to focus on a different stage of life. I also have family that has had Alzheimer’s disease. I think this was one of the hardest things I have seen in my life. My aunt would remember my name one moment and forget I was even alive the next. The purpose of this article is to educate those interested in this disease to learn how to deal with them in nursing homes. The research question asked here is how to deal with those with Alzheimer’s in the nursing homes.

For this observation paper I decided to observe one of the specialty wings at my work. I never had the opportunity to work on the Alzheimer and Dementia wing in the two years that I have worked there. At Oakridge, they offer three rehabilitation wings, a nursing home wing, two assisted living areas and a dementia care unit. The care team only places aids who can provide long term consistent care to these memory care residents. Studies have shown that the consistent care and caregivers provided to these residents have reduced dementia and Alzheimer induce behaviors.

For this observation paper I decided to observe one of the specialty wings at my work. I never got the opportunity to work on the Alzheimer and Dementia wing in the two years that I have worked there. At Oakridge, they offer three rehabilitation wings, a nursing home wing, two assisted living areas and a dementia care unit. The care team only places aids who can provide long term consistent care to these memory care residents. Studies have shown that the consistent care and caregivers provided to these residents have reduced dementia and Alzheimer induce behaviors.

My grandmother’s tough battle with Alzheimer’s disease gave the definition of patient care a new perspective. I recall my grandmother being able to prepare lunch and play along with her grandchildren but then she began to forget how to do these simple everyday activities which ultimately led to further progression of the disease. Since