Discharge Planning Case Studies

Discharge Planning For A Long Term Condition Patient With Lewy Body Disease
DISCHARGE PLANNING FOR A LONG TERM CONDITION PATIENT WITH LEWY
BODY DISEASE
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Discharge Planning For A Long Term Condition Patient With Lewy Body Disease
Introduction
The main aim of this essay is to illustrate a discharge plan of the aforementioned
patient in the scenario, Mr. Angelo Davies. This is conducted in reference to the existing
medical information and history, the prevailing condition of health, nature of the social
life and the care of package relating to the said patient in the scenario (Meagher, 2011).
With an aim of achieving the stated objective of the essay, the essay will keenly
consider the nature of planning, the duties, roles and work to be performed by each
specific member of the multidisciplinary team that could be incorporated in the plan, the
empowerment concepts the advantages that originates from involving the family of the
patient and the neighboring community or society and the need of proper
communication when discharging the patient. Eventually, the essay concludes through
an elaborate summary of the major discussed issues and concepts within the essay
(Saxenas & Lawley, 2010).
Dementia is a disease of the brain that results to a decrease in thinking
capabilities of an infected person and body functioning in general. Lewy body is a type
of dementia accompanied with continuous disorder of the brain whereby Lewy bodies
which normally entails unusual protein deposits commonly known as alpha-synuclein,
increase in amounts or quantities within the proximity or areas within or around the brain
that plays the roles of regulating behavior, movement or even control. This disease of
Lewy body dementia possess symptoms and signs that includes the following: a drastic
variation in reasoning and thinking, a daily variation in levels of confusion and
magnitudes of alertness, symptoms of Parkinson’s which involves hunched posture,
problems relating to body balancing and rigidness of the muscles (Volier, 2011). Other

Discharge Planning For A Long Term Condition Patient With Lewy Body Disease
symptoms relates to visual hallucinations and delusions, problems in interpreting visual
information, rapid eye movement sleep disorder which is characterized by acting out of
dreams, nervous system malfunctions and finally significant loss of memory.
According to researchers, the exact cause of this disease has not yet been
determined. It is evident that patients suffering from dementia Lewy bodies possess no
traces of a similar disorder on the medical history of the relatives or family. Neither has
genes relating to this disease determined or identified ruling out hereditary causes of
the disease. From the above symptoms, it is a clear confirmation of the neurologist’s
suggestions that Mr. Angelo Davies must be ailing from Lewy bodies’ dementia besides
hypertension and hyperlipidemia available from the patient’s medical history (Wahlbeck
et al 2011).
Psychological and emotional needs of Mr. Davies needs to be satisfied in the
design of his health care package. As a result of limited information about the patients
social life and interests by the healthcare professional, it might be slightly complicated to
determine and evaluate the needs of Mr. Davies during his early dementia development
stage particularly in this scenario where the healthcare expert or professional had not
known or interacted with the patient for a long duration of time. It is usually a normal
experience of patients not giving out a first-hand information about their needs. It can
result from a poor verbal communication network or system between the patient and the
trained health professional or insufficient understanding between the two, the patient
and the health expert (Canningham & Archibald, 2016).
As indicated by the NHS, Health care package should thus clearly state the
advantages and benefits achieved from involving close members of the family and

Discharge Planning For A Long Term Condition Patient With Lewy Body Disease
professionals from the health sector who might have spent a considerably sufficient time
with the patient mostly during the period of assessment hence might understand or
speculate some of the emotional and psychological needs of the patient. Nonverbal
communications and gestures or body languages should also be keenly taken into
account and assessed as some, for example, facial expressions may provide vital
information or need of a patient. Eventually, it becomes of great importance in situations
where the patient cannot comfortably communicate through language.
In addition, the guidance from the NHS outlines that distress from emotions may
be expressed through disturbance of the behavior as the majority of patients suffering
from the disease of dementia possess the agitation, aggression and withdrawal
symptoms (Moyer, 2014). Some of the patients also show signs of withdrawal or
disengagement as a response to distress hence making withdrawal a primary sign
depicting that a patient is ailing from or experiencing anxiety or depression.
It is thus realized how assistance from a second party is essential for a
comfortable and dignified life of a patient. This leads to a physical engagement with Mr.
Davies through questions, enabling him to share with health care experts the nature of
assistance and support or care he should receive when at home. In relation to scenario,
Mr. Davies stays near her daughter and is willing to go home since he is not willing to
stay in a nursing home. He further has wardens who occasionally visits nut prefers living
alone. It is thus essential for his care package to solve and achieve the major
components of Mr. Davies social demands and needs through involving the help from
both the daughter and the wardens who visits occasionally (Larson et al, 2014).