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Preliminary care coordination plan for Alzheimer’s disease
Coordinating Patient-Centered Care
July 2021
Preliminary care coordination plan for Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s ailment is a continuous neurological disorder that shrinks the brain and kills the brain cells. Notably, Alzheimer one of the leading causes of dementia, a progressive decrease in thinking, social skills, and behavioral skills that influence an individual’s capability to function autonomously. The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include memory loss of recent activities or conversations, development of severe memory impairment, and inability to perform daily tasks as the disease progresses (Weller & Budson, 2018). There is no treatment that neither heals Alzheimer’s disease nor changes the disease’s effects on the brain. The advanced stage of the disease is characterized by severe loss of brain function as observed through dehydration, malnutrition, or infections that may result in death. The treatment for Alzheimer’s disease improves the condition temporarily by slowing down the progress of the symptoms (Weller & Budson, 2018). The medication helps the patients to maintain functions and independence for some time. As a practicing nurse in a community care center, I will focus on improving the lives of people who have Alzheimer’s disease, their caregivers, and their families through a coordinated plan. Due to complexities in the needs of the patients, my schedule will be multispectral in approach. My preliminary care coordination plan will entail physical, psychosocial, and cultural considerations.
In addressing Alzheimer’s cases, the objectives are designed based on the incurable nature of the disease. First is maintaining the quality of life of the affected patient and maximizing function in the daily actions of the patients (Quiñones et al., 2020). Secondly, it promotes the affected individuals’ cognitive, mood, and behavioral effects, creating a safe environment where they carry out their daily functions and enhance their social engagement. As a nurse in the care center, my approach plan in assisting Alzheimer’s patients will have physical, psychosocial, and cultural considerations.
Aging well is guaranteed by healthy physical activities engaged by the aging individuals. Physical exercises improve brain memory and its functionality (Adlimoghaddam et al., 2018). It also delays the start of Alzheimer’s disease among older people. It may hinder the ability to conduct tasks by patients because physical activities strengthen, balance, and improve walking capability. As a nurse, I will design physical activities for Alzheimer’s patients to help them stay mobile, which allows them to continue their roles and duties in their homes and society. For advanced-stage Alzheimer’s patients, physical therapy will assist them in daily chores longer, reducing the burden on the care providers and family members (Adlimoghaddam et al., 2018). I will guide the caregivers and family on safety concerns and how to manage their loved ones. Thus, physical therapy will improve the quality of life by slowing down the call for facility-based care. The assumption in the physical therapy for Alzheimer’s disease is that the patients do not exhibit other related disorders such as arthritis and broken bones as they will complicate the administration of the physical therapy plan.
The psychosocial concerns for Alzheimer’s patients include emotional support, the need to maintain independence and autonomy, attention to dignified attitude, the opportunity to make decisions, control their lives, preserve a sense of identity, and engage in significant activities (Ostergren et al., 2017). I will develop a program to improve social contact, build confident interrelations, and engage cognitive activities for the patients to enhance the quality of life, maximize function in the daily actions, and improve mood and behavioral effects of the affected individuals. The psychosocial measures are necessary because cognitively impaired patients can respond to interactions with other individuals. Structured social activities such as group reading programs will significantly improve the life of Alzheimer’s patients (Ostergren et al., 2017). My plan will also involve patients with milder disease leading the groups in undertaking activities that are age sensitive. In my program, I will consider the assumption that deterioration of Alzheimer’s health is because of an irreversible progression of Alzheimer’s disease as it can be due reversible and functionally initiated. As a nurse, providing emotional care may reverse the cause of deterioration.
Alzheimer’s disease can affect all cultures, but the prevalence is higher among African Americans than whites. One’s background and beliefs determine their sense of self, understanding, and feeling about Alzheimer’s and how one will respond to interventions such as diagnosis, care, and the environment (Quiñones et al., 2020). Diagnosis at later stages of Alzheimer’s is not promising, costly, the caregiver is much burdened, and institutionalization is very likely to make it necessary for African Americans to access treatment early. In my plan, I will consider the different values, beliefs, and practices of other racial groups suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The family roles, community participation, and feeling of self-assuredness depend on the patient’s cultural background (Quiñones et al., 2020). The black Americans believe Alzheimer’s is due to usual aging, level of stress vulnerability, poison, cerebral illness, or God’s plan. Religiosity and time orientation among different cultures influence health behavior and the health outcomes among Alzheimer’s patients. Therefore, I will plan for a coordination program that emphasizes healthy ways of life and societal aid, constructive effect, and banning narcotics and alcohol use, closely related to religiosity, to realize better health. The plan will consider an inquiry into religious and cultural orientation to avoid clashing events that patients may undertake, such as fasting.
The care options available for Alzheimer’s patients involve home health care, community welfare, and institutional-based care. Community care consists of community resources to boost daily life (Quiñones et al., 2020). The government complements community care by introducing day-care centers funded through a social pension scheme. The service offered in such centers includes catering, leisure activities that entertain the elderly, and others provide specific care for Alzheimer’s. The community resources available for care include seminars, conferences, events for families and patients.
In conclusion, Alzheimer’s disease, as a leading cause of dementia, causes the brain cells to shrink and die. It is a condition of progressive decrease in thinking, social skills, and behavioral skills that influence an individual’s capability to function autonomously. A preliminary care coordination plan entails physical, psychosocial, and cultural considerations. The objectives for Alzheimer’s care include maintaining the quality of life of the affected patient and maximizing function in the daily actions of the patients. Secondly, it promotes the affected individuals’ cognitive, mood, and behavioral effects, creating a safe environment where the patients carry out their daily functions and enhance their social engagement. The plan considers the psychosocial measures necessary because cognitively impaired patients can respond to interactions with other individuals. It also finds physical exercises that improve brain memory and its functionality. The different values, beliefs, and practices held by different racial groups suffering from Alzheimer’s disease must also be taken care of because the family roles, community participation, and self-assuredness depend on the patient’s cultural background.
References
Adlimoghaddam, A., Neuendorff, M., Roy, B., & Albensi, B. C. (2018). A review of clinical treatment considerations of donepezil in severe Alzheimer’s disease. CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 24(10), 876-888.
Ostergren, J. E., Heeringa, S. G., Leon, C. F. M. D., Connell, C. M., & Roberts, J. S. (2017). The influence of psychosocial and cognitive factors on perceived threat of Alzheimer’s disease. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias®, 32(5), 289-299.
Quiñones, A. R., Kaye, J., Allore, H. G., Botoseneanu, A., & Thielke, S. M. (2020). An agenda for addressing multimorbidity and racial and ethnic disparities in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias®, 35, 1533317520960874.
Weller, J., & Budson, A. (2018). Current understanding of Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and treatment. F1000Research, 7.
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