Alzheimer Disease with the Example of Esther - Essay Example

Alzheimer Case Study The information given about Esther’s scenario indicates about her suffering from Alzheimer’s. As Alzheimer’s is the most commonly found dementia in old people, especially over the age of 65, Esther is more vulnerable to the disease as she is 84, much after the general timing of rise of the disease. (Alzheimer’s disease Symptoms and Stages, 2009) The commonest symptom of Alzheimer’s in the early stages is forgetting learned information or long perceived knowledge and skills. Esther too finds it tough to remember the rules of her favourite card game which has been her most enjoyed pastime with fellow companions in the last three years. She frequently asks co-players for instructions. Another basic sign of Alzheimer’s is forgetting names and dates or keeping track of time which is very much visible in Esther as she forgets to send cards to her near and dear ones on birthdays and anniversaries, a custom she strictly followed a few years back. Either she is unable to remember the dates, addresses or the process of sending cards. Alzheimer’s patients do face problems in planning or concentrating such as forgetting a recipe and spend more time to do things that they did before proficiently.  The same is happening with Esther whose special oatmeal raisin cookies have been losing their popularity as she more or less fails to follow the recipe directions or could not remember them properly in last few years. Generally Alzheimer’s patients get into the habit of misplacing things and find it unable to trace them. Esther accusation of theft on the staff of Sunshine Meadows very much displays this symptom as who would be interested in stealing an old lady’s white sweater in community centre. She might have kept the sweater somewhere and later lost track of it. Thus, the behaviour of Esther in last few years very much resemble the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and its possible she is suffering from the disease.(10 Signs of Alzheimer’s, n.d.) 2. The forebrain section of the brain is responsible for the superior activities relating to memory and language. This forebrain is further separated into four regions called lobes. The two lobes which are affected in Alzheimer’s are temporal lobe and the frontal lobe. The temporal lobe primarily manages memory related functions. There are two types of memories; episodic memory which remembers events and episodes with reference to time and semantic memory treated as personal encyclopedia. An Alzheimer’s patient’s episodic memory is mostly found damaged. This leads to patients forgetting things happened in the recent past but they do remember incidents of distant past. Esther exhibits this symptom as she fails to remember the place she kept her sweater but knows how to cook cookies. The frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for planning tasks managing and regulating behaviour. Damaging of this lobe in Alzheimer’s lead to inability to follow patterns of actions and managing various tasks, like cooking, shopping due to the loss of plan of action, the same pattern shown by Esther as she forgets recipes.(The Brain and the Behaviour, 2008)   3. Neuropsychological tests would help to great extent in diagnosing Alzheimer’s in Esther. In this procedure a series of tests are performed maintain the educational background and social setting of the patient. An evaluation of wide range of activities such as communication, attention, memory in reference to time and place skills applied to problems solving, moods swings and emotions are performed. This method of tests helps to identify any abnormal changes in the behaviour and mental state of a potential Alzheimer patient. Another mode of diagnosis is conducting interviews with the patient and family members. It is very tough to identify an Alzheimer’s patient externally as its symptoms do not get openly visible like other diseases. A close and keen observation of the patient through tenure of time can only bring out the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. In this case family members and friends play a pivotal role as they are first to observe the behavioural and mental changes in a person and they can provide significant information about the relevant past of the concerned individual. (Alzheimer’s Diagnosis and Risk Factors, n.d.) 4. If Esther is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s she needs immediate treatment. As she is in the early stage of the disease, further delay could lead to severe outcomes. Without proper treatment and care her symptoms would increase and hamper her normal life. Her normal ability to communicate, her thinking process, and memory would be gravely affected by the disease. Her decision making skills would deteriorate and she would find performing simple tasks impossible. She could lead to partial or complete memory loss and venture into confusion. She could lose her emotional balance and become isolated from her family and friends. All these could turn fatal as loss of physical coordination and mobility can lead to serious physical decline. (Alzheimer’s Disease, n.d.) 5. Treating Esther would be a tiring job as there is no specific treatment for Alzheimer’s but the treatment is not impossible.  The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved two drugs; first Cholinesterase  which helps to control the chemicals responsible for carrying information between cells in the brain thus helping in communication inside the brain of Alzheimer’s patients.  The second drug is Memantine which regulates the activity of brain chemical glutamate which also works as a transporter. Giving the above mentioned drugs to Esther would help to regulate her brain functioning and keeping the communication systems normal. This would prevent her from further degradation. There are also non-medical treatments to control the behavioral disturbances. For this it is important to understand that person is suffering from a disease, helping the patient with change in surroundings, providing comfort zone, support to solve obstructions. It is mainly being more humane to the patient.(Standard Treatments, n.d.)   References: 1. 10 Signs of Alzheimer’s. (n.d.) . Alzheimer’s Association. Retrieved June 24. 2009 from Read More