Alzheimer’s Disease – A Case Study

This case study discusses the causes, symptoms, and nursing interventions for Alzheimer’s Disease. It highlights the challenges faced by patients and caregivers and provides recommendations for improving the quality of life for patients. The study is relevant for healthcare professionals, students, and researchers interested in understanding the complexities of this disorder.

Running head: ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – A CASE STUDY
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – A CASE STUDY
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ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – A CASE STUDY
Alzheimer’s diseases can be defined as neurological disorders that affect people usually
over 65 years of age. This disorder is characterized by death of the cells in the brain. This
disorder results in loss of memory as well as decline in cognitive abilities (Prince et al. 2016).
The assignment will mainly portray the causes, sign, symptoms, and recovery interventions of
the disorder. This will be done by linking the case study of Dennis with the different aspects of
the disorders and how care can be planned for him for his effective treatment.
Alzheimer’s disease is mainly observed in aging individuals, mainly those who have
crossed 65 years of age. This is mainly a neurodegenerative disorder where there is progressive
death of brain cells over a course of time. The total size of the brain shrinks gradually until a
condition reaches where the brain tissue possesses progressively fewer number of nerve cells and
connections. In such conditions, the brain is seen to have plaques. Plaques are usually found
between the dying cells of the brain (Koivisto et al. 2016). A build up of protein called beta-
amyloid takes place which result in the formation of plaques that lay between the brain cells.
Another protein also disintegrates called the tau that results in formation of tangles among the
brain neurons. These interfere with the ability of the neurons to communicate with each other
that in turn results in destruction of the nerve cells. Overtime, it spreads to grey matter affecting
neural functions and cognitive abilities (Olsen et al. 2016). Age is seen to be the greatest factor
in the development of this disorder. With the aging of Dennis, he was gradually being affected
by the disorders. With the passing of days, more neuronal destruction had taken place in his brain
due to plaque and tangle formation. All these had resulted him in reaching an advanced stage of
Alzheimer is where most of the cognitive abilities had been lost.
Several signs and symptoms had been noticed in the case of Dennis that shows that he
was suffering from Alzheimer disorder. The first symptom of Dennis that shows that he was

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ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – A CASE STUDY
suffering from Alzheimer’s disorder is his loss of memory that is disrupting his daily life. In case
of Dennis, it is seen that he has forgotten his identity and has started crying for her mother. He
had forgotten that his mother and wife had passed away and could never come back. This loss of
memory ensured that he was suffering from the disease. Patients with such disorder also face
challenges in planning as well as in solving problems (Mace and Rabens 2017). The same had
been seen in case of Dennis where he had not been able to properly solve his puzzles. He used to
love solving puzzles and crosswords when he was young. However, as he had got older and had
been affected by the disorder, his capability to solve puzzles and crosswords had diminished and
he feels confused now. Moreover, another symptom of the disorder is that patients tend to
confuse time and place. A similar scenario was observed where once, he had been found
wandering on the road and could not come back to his residential home. Another issue that
patients in this disorder also experience is withdrawal from work and social activities (Chen et al.
2016). Once, Dennis used to have a very active social life with his wife but onset of this disorder
had made him unsocial. In most of the times, he remains in a state of confusion and lucidity. He
is also seen to shout and scream obscenities that are never done by socially active people as it is
against social norms. Another symptom is that people suffering from this disorder also have
frequent changes in mood and personality (Dewing and Djik 2016). Dennis is also seen to show
different sort of reactions where sometimes he starts crying when he is called for food or he
becomes upset for his condition and become morose. Sometimes he gets disappointed and starts
shouting and screaming. All these symptoms ensure that Dennis was suffering from advanced
stage of Alzheimer disease.
The nursing interventions provided for Dennis should be person centered. The
interventions should be provided depending upon the different requirement of the patients.

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ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – A CASE STUDY
Moreover, they should maintain the dignity of the patients and should respect Dennis in every
ways. Dennis has impaired functioning and faces challenge while doing complex tasks.
Therefore, he has gradually withdrawn himself from a number of activities. In such situations,
nurses should avoid occurrence of any stressful situations in front of Dennis. The nurses should
never force the patient more than he could perform. Dennis has lost his memory and therefore he
might face issues in recalling events in his life. Therefore, the caregiver should utilize reminders
in the form of notes, cues, single-day calendars and many others (Wubker et al. 2015). She
should establish a communication process with the patients so that he cannot entirely withdraw
himself from the social life. As his family members visit him too less and he cannot socialize
with others properly, there is a high chance of him becoming socially excluded. Therefore, the
nurses should communicate with him on daily basis and at the same time make him remember
different events. Moreover, he has a tendency to get lost whenever he is walking alone and
therefore the caregiver should accompany him on walks and ensure that his working area is safe
and secure. Moreover, Dennis is showing inconsistency in different types of ordinary tasks in
daily living. This is understood from the way he reacted when he was called for the meal.
Therefore, the nurses should help Dennis in maintaining consistencies by keeping needed items
in his views, assisting him with daily activities and behaving compassionately with him. His
increased forgetfulness in meals can be handled by keeping food near him and handing him
medications as required. He is still living in the past that became obvious from the way he was
calling for his mother. Therefore, the caregiver should arrange social meetings with others and
maintain all his physical, mental and work activities (Muller et al. 2017). Dennis also has poor
balance and uncoordinated motor skills for which he had suffered falls. Therefore, handrails, bed
rails, grab bars, non skid slippers should be provided and excessively loose garments should be

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ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – A CASE STUDY
avoided. Environment of his room should be bright and clutters from his room should be cleared.
Important amenities should be kept near his reach.
From the entire discussion, it is known that Dennis is suffering from Alzheimer disease.
Plaques and tangled had been formed in his brain which had interfered with the neuronal
functioning resulting in neuronal death. Therefore, different signs and symptoms are observed
like loss of memory, forgetting ways back home, increased confusion, and inability to do
complex tasks, falls and many. Therefore, nursing interventions should be provided like assisting
him while he is talking walk, arranging for his social meetings, keeping his necessities in front of
him, altering his living environment and many others. These would ensure a better quality life
for Dennis.

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ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – A CASE STUDY
References:
Chen, L.L., Li, H., Lin, R., Zheng, J.H., Wei, Y.P., Li, J., Chen, P. and Chen, H.Y., 2016. Effects
of a feeding intervention in patients with Alzheimer's disease and dysphagia. Journal of clinical
nursing, 25(5-6), pp.699-707.
Dewing, J. and Dijk, S., 2016. What is the current state of care for older people with dementia in
general hospitals? A literature review. Dementia, 15(1), pp.106-124.
Koivisto, A.M., Hallikainen, I., Välimäki, T., Hongisto, K., Hiltunen, A., Karppi, P., Sivenius, J.,
Soininen, H. and Martikainen, J., 2016. Early psychosocial intervention does not delay
institutionalization in persons with mild Alzheimer disease and has impact on neither disease
progression nor caregivers' well‐being: ALSOVA 3‐year follow‐up. International journal of
geriatric psychiatry, 31(3), pp.273-283.
Mace, N.L. and Rabins, P.V., 2017. The 36-hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People who
Have Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss. JHU Press.
Müller, C., Lautenschläger, S., Meyer, G. and Stephan, A., 2017. Interventions to support people
with dementia and their caregivers during the transition from home care to nursing home care: A
systematic review. International journal of nursing studies, 71, pp.139-152.
Olsen, C., Pedersen, I., Bergland, A., Enders‐Slegers, M.J., Patil, G. and Ihlebæk, C., 2016.
Effect of animal‐assisted interventions on depression, agitation and quality of life in nursing
home residents suffering from cognitive impairment or dementia: a cluster randomized
controlled trial. International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 31(12), pp.1312-1321.

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ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE – A CASE STUDY
Prince, M., Comas-Herrera, A., Knapp, M., Guerchet, M. and Karagiannidou, M., 2016. World
Alzheimer report 2016: improving healthcare for people living with dementia: coverage, quality
and costs now and in the future.
Wübker, A., Zwakhalen, S.M., Challis, D., Suhonen, R., Karlsson, S., Zabalegui, A., Soto, M.,
Saks, K. and Sauerland, D., 2015. Costs of care for people with dementia just before and after
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