Alzheimer's Disease and Autism - Essay Example

Address the Following Questions/Issues for Each of the Two Scenarios You Selected Scenario Mary is 65 years old andwas recently diagnosed of Alzheimers Disease (AD). She was basically right-handed before the diagnosis. She has been running a famous grocery store in downtown New York, for 32 years. She was married for 35 years to Mr. John, who died three years ago. Together they had three children. Mary was, at one time, Johns bookkeeper, but she opted to start a grocery business in order to improve the income of her family. She had formerly been a very active and vibrant woman, but now due to her condition and the reality that she is living on her own, she is extremely feeble. Such a patient requires an extremely safe and supportive surrounding because any harm done to them could actually cost them their lives. It is important to keep emergency numbers near Mary’s reach (Mace and Rabins 53). It is best to write the numbers on stickers and then stick them next to the phone. Also, the phones should be located near the Mary. In case of fire breakouts, the smoke detectors should be well working. Mary should also be advised to stop using electric blankets or room heaters even if it is during cold days. It is important to install a personal alarm or medical alert system in case Mary has some emergencies. Professional systems connect directly to an agent all round the clock. Therefore, if Mary has a pressing medical concern, then she can simply press a button on a device worn around her neck or wrist and a message will be sent immediately for assistance. The bathroom is a risky place for an individual with AD (Mace and Rabins 53). As their ability to function drops, it might become essential to set up grab bars in the bathroom (Mace and Rabins 53). Also, it is vital to use firm floor mats in the tub or shower. The furniture should also be easy for her to navigate the room. I will ensure there is adequate lighting because as humans get older, the more light they require. Finally, in the kitchen, the stove and oven are a fire hazard if not utilized well. Therefore, Mary’s home should be installed with this appliances that work well. The burden or care, cost of intervention and social deprivation are some of the main environmental issues that affect patients with AD (Mace and Rabins 56). For instance, Mary, whose children stopped living with her long time ago and also her husband passed away, has the burden of taking care of herself alone, not unless her children decide to step in. Costs rises with AD’s severity, as well as the existence of behavioral disorders, and are connected to the enhanced caregiving period needed for the offering of physical care (Mace and Rabins 56). Hence, any treatment, which decelerates cognitive decline, hinders institutionalization or decreases caregivers hours bring disadvantages to Mary. Also, small issues such as passive smoking, availability of only high cholesterol foodstuffs, unavailability of fruits, surrounding that do not support Mary to do exercise among many other are the environment factors that can worsen Mary’s situation. The cognitive deficits of AD lead to considerable impairment in occupational or social functioning and present a huge drop from an earlier functioning level (Mace and Rabins 53). An individual with Alzheimers disease might not be in a position to communicate to a liable person that they are experiencing/enduring pain — for instance, from a dental issue whenever they eat. They cannot report signs of another illness or follow an expert’s prescribed treatment arrangement (Mace and Rabins 53). They cannot also give notice or describe any of their side effects. It is up to the medical practitioner to detect the main issues affecting the patient. Patients suffering from AD normally face social seclusion as nobody is ready to offer care such patients without a cost apart from their family members (Mace and Rabins 53). They normally depend fully on others so this lives the burden to their caregivers. Patients normally deteriorate in due course in events of daily life, in addition to their capacity to care for themselves, so this makes them feel inadequate to others (Mace and Rabins 53). If the patient has the disease for a long period, then he or she can develop other numerous problems, comprising of sleep-wake cycle disturbance, incontinence, as well as wandering, which often lead to psychological issues. The duty of caring for the patient usually falls on a family member. This duty takes a huge physical and emotional toll, particularly when included to the mental distress of seeing a loved one depreciate (Mace and Rabins 53). Due to the burdens of giving care, the caregiver is normally referred to as the second or hidden patient of the disease. A patient such as May will encounter difficulties such as apathy, poor appetite, repetitive behaviour, irritability, sleep problems, aggression/agitation, depression, delusions, anxiety, hallucinations, disinhibition and elation (Mace and Rabins 56). However, it is not understandable why some individuals with Alzheimers disease form psychological and behavioural symptoms whereas other persons do not. It is likely that this example is caused by the impact of diverse genes. Psychological and behavioural symptoms can be extremely distressing for everybody concerned and can spoil relationships among people with Alzheimers disease, as well as their caregivers. In turn, this can also make it more expected that the individual with the condition will necessitate to be looked after in a care or nursing home (Mace and Rabins 56). This is because cases such as aggression, sleep disturbance and sadness offer the most distress to these caregivers. Scenario 2 Philip, on the other hand, is a four year old boy who is autistic. His parents, both 32 years old, recently found out that he is autistic and plan to assist him, but know little concerning this condition of the huge expenses it costs the people dealing with settling the cost. Autism hinders neural development typified by impaired verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction, and by limited, stereotyped or repetitive behavior. The diagnostic criteria urge that symptoms become clear before the affected child is three years old; this explains why Philip’s parents knew nothing about their child’s condition till his was four. For design an environment that will assist Philip, the parents will need to consider the lighting, ventilation, heating, planning, color and cleaning among other factors (Amaral and Dawson 78). It is vital to ensure that autistic children receive as much ventilation as they need. Parents should avoid high level windows as everyone, no matter the age, want to feel comfortable concerning their surroundings. Underfloor heating is also the preferred choice. It is a hidden system of heating that uses no open space, has no sharp edges and offers comfort conditions in a well ventilated room devoid of any for need of back-up heating. Care must be applied to stay away from flickering fluorescent lighting because this can be disturbing to autistic children (Amaral and Dawson 78). Compact fluorescent is good enough, but the requirement always needs to be reviewed to ensure that fittings are also fitted with the proper diffusers. Also, careful choices of color have to be made in order to guarantee a proper balance between the general, as well as private spaces (Amaral and Dawson 78). It is an excellent idea to ask the child to decide the color for the home from a long range of colors. Finally, outdoor spaces are a vital part of the child’s environmental consciousness. A secure space, which is overlooked by carers is a big asset and can offer the child with a sense of sovereignty. They can benefit from the freedom devoid of any feeling of being obtrusively monitored (Amaral and Dawson 79). The risk of autistic is related to numerous other prenatal environmental risk factors, comprising of enhanced age in the parent, bleeding, diabetes, or the application of psychiatric drugs in the mother throughout pregnancy (Amaral and Dawson 82). Autistic has been associated with birth defect agents acting throughout the first eight weeks from birth, even though such cases are rare. Teratogens are also other environmental agents, which can lead to autism. Some agents, which are thought to lead to autism, have also been proposed as potential risk factors, even though there is little to no technical proof to support such claims (Amaral and Dawson 82). These consist of exposure of the fetus to misoprostol, thalidomide or valproic acid. These cases, however, are rare. Issues have also been brought up as to whether ethanol, also known as grain alcohol, enhances autism risk of children, as a component of alcohol-related birth defects or fetal alcohol syndrome (Amaral and Dawson 82). All recognized teratogens seem to act in the first eight weeks from birth, and even though this does not omit the possibility that autism can be set off or affected afterward, it is strong proof that autism occurs at the early stages of development. For children with autism, their social impairments cause trouble in comprehend what is taking place around them and incapacity to foresee what will occur next (Amaral and Dawson 83). This leads to considerable lack of confidence and worry on a daily basis, which is normally expressed by various stress-easing obsessive actions e.g. rocking, flapping or also challenging behaviors –punching, full-blown tantrums, kicking, and biting (Amaral and Dawson 83). Since autism is not a physical disability, the normal person is still quick to criticize “odd” behavior (Amaral and Dawson 86). They suppose that the child is only disobedient, or the parents are not over controlling the patient. Therefore, a lot of parents keep away from taking their children to public areas instead of risking the difficulties and public judgment when the child suddenly turns anxious (Amaral and Dawson 86). This leads not just to the autistic child, but also other siblings, to become homebound and secluded, which has deep effects on their emotional and social wellbeing (Amaral and Dawson 86). The impact of being autistic for the child means that they normally face failure in school, work and social situations. This causes a lack of self-belief, as well as low self-esteem. For many, it causes high anxiety, misery and psychological health issues (Amaral and Dawson 86). Many autistic children are also extremely vulnerable to mistreatment due to their social arrears. Being taken advantage of and bullied by alleged “friends” is not odd. Looking for an autistic child or young person can be a great emotional, physical and financial strain. Parents are always judged by society, which makes them feel blameworthy that their child is losing out and not realising how best to assist them, which takes a toll on the siblings and parents.  For a lot of families, at least one parent will have to quit working and frequently families divide under such stresses of living with an autistic child with, which puts a huge financial strain on them.  Normally, autistic children have troubled sleeping patterns and they require constant care, which is physically tiring. Works Cited Amaral, David and Dawson, Geraldine. Autism Spectrum Disorders. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print. Mace, Nancy L and Rabins, Peter V. The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss Mass Market. New York: Grand Central Life & Style, 2012. Print. Read More