Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

Alzheimer’s

1a. Hi, I am Mark and I am 80 years old. I have been fighting with Alzheimer’s (Or more commonly known as Dementia) since the last many years (I don't remember the exact number because I have a problem remembering things). I live at a nursing home near my town. It is a quiet place surrounded by greenery covered hills at three side and a lush green forest at one side. There are almost a hundred other people, who live in this nursing home with me, and are mostly patients of various such diseases like Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Diabetes, etc.

It is not easy at all, trust me. I want to remember things but I can’t. My sons and grandchildren come to meet me every weekend and I enjoy quite a good time with them but sometimes it becomes very difficult to sit with them. I cannot find the right words to talk to them, I keep stammering for a long time, and then, after many failed attempts to remember the suitable word, I keep quiet. Once my grandchildren celebrated one of my grandson’s birthday here with me, at the nursing home. I tried to remember very hard that what date it was and when does my other grandchildrens' birthdays fall, but I could not. I want to enjoy these little moments and cherish them but cannot, as I have trouble remembering dates. Sometimes, I even forget the names of my grandchildren and sons.

Although the staff at the nursing home is very friendly and co-operative, still, my biggest fear is loneliness. Loneliness is a big killer for patients of Dementia. We always need constant support and encouragement. Although all the fellows, living in the nursing home are friends with each other, and we have regular meetings and get-togethers as well, I still feel lonely and isolated at times, especially when I feel difficulty in sleeping at night.

2. Alzheimer’s or Dementia is a very complicated disease as the symptoms vary across various patients. The symptoms are not uniform among all the patients and it is a disease or disorder, specifically found in people of old age. The disease makes them forget things, causes interference in their memory and makes the completion of ordinary tasks difficult for them, like solving small problems, making plans and asking the same question again and again.

Being an administrator of a nursing home for the old, I have seen many cases of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. I have been dealing with such cases for a long time and know the very exact conditions through which a patient and their family is going through when a patient is suffering from Alzheimer’s. I have gone through many plans and schemes to implement in my nursing home so that the lives of patients with Alzheimer’s can be made better along with their families. In this respect, the National Plan To Address Alzheimer's disease: 2017 Update has been an excellent framework to address the issue. The best thing about this plan is that is not only focuses on the issues of Dementia patients but also strives to make the life and handling of the patient easier for their families.

After going through the whole document, there are some strategies that I liked a lot and also planning to implement them in my nursing home. Most of these strategies are from part 3 or Goal 3 of the plan. The first one has been listed under Goal 3 as Strategy 3A. The second impressive strategy that I want to implement is also listed under Goal 3 of the plan titled Strategy 3C and the third very good strategy is the very next strategy, Strategy 3D. I want to implement these strategies in my nursing home because they address the issues of both the patient and their families. They have a great value in the near and far future and would be very effective in reducing the number of Alzheimer’s patients in the coming 1 and then the next 5 years.

3. Alzheimer’s (or more commonly known as Dementia) is a very complicated condition in which the patient suffers from memory loss and faces difficulty in carrying on his or her daily tasks. These tasks may comprise of even small things like remembering the dates, keeping a track of time and planning things. It a typically age-related disorder and occurs mostly in the people Alzheimer’s is usually the most common cause of dementia but mostly the symptoms are the same.

There are various stages of this condition; in every stage, the severity of the disease keeps increasing. The disease goes from very low to mild and then severe, and these symptoms progress slowly. With every advancing stage, the severity of the disease keeps increasing and thus the level of difficulty for the patient, as well as the handlers or caregivers increases. Most of the time the persons that have to face the most difficulties is the direct family or the close relatives of the patient.

There are various ways in which a patient of Alzheimer’s can be helped and assisted to overcome the difficulties that are caused by this disease. One of these ways is to become an administrator or caregiver of a nursing home where old patients come to reside. As Alzheimer’s is a disease, typically associated with old age, special care is needed to handle such patients as Alzheimer’s or dementia is not the only issue they are facing. Alzheimer’s is just a mental condition that affects the mental condition of the patient, but old people have also a number of other physical ailments, like Diabetes and Blood Pressure issues, that can make life much tougher for them. As an Administrator of a nursing home, I can make sure that the old people living in my nursing home, especially Alzheimer’s are given proper medical treatment. I can make sure that a medical representative is available all the time in the nursing home so that the various issues of the residents, either mental or physical, are under control. This medical representative may be of any kind; they may be a doctor or a full-time nurse.

Another issue in which an administrator may be of use for the patient of Alzheimer’s is their social engagement. The biggest fear and most probably the enemy for a patient of Alzheimer’s is their loneliness or isolation. The conditions of a patient, suffering from Alzheimer or Dementia worsens if he or she is left alone or in isolation. Thus, in order to decrease or slow down this condition, it is very necessary that such a person is kept engaged constantly in some social and constructive activity like a meeting or a support group. On a personal level, the administrator can also help an Alzheimer’s patient by taking care of the small and basic needs of the patient. The basic need of, not only an Alzheimer’s patient but every human being is food. This need becomes more critical in case of a patient or an old person. So an administrator can make sure on a personal level that every Alzheimer’s patient is getting the right kind of food and supplements in their diet, so that their condition can be handled.