Mental Health Nursing: Case Study of Cognitive Impairment and Care Plan

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Introduction:
Cognitive impairment is defined as the mental illness, which disrupts the normal function
of the brain and hinders the decision making ability of the individual and along with that it also
troubles the person suffering from it in remembering and concentrating (Petersen 2016). Along
with the mental health, it is also possesses negative impacts on the physical and social well-being
of the patient which is discussed in the assignment. This discussion includes the case study of
Mrs. X, who is suffering from cognitive decline. The mental assessment test and the risk
assessment test of the illness is discussed along with the observed symptoms in the patient and
the diagnosis test. The intervention which can be used to improve the health condition is also
mentioned below.
Case study:
This assignment intends to focus on the treatment and care plan of the patient named X
(pseudonym), who has been admitted to the mental health sector due to the chief complaints of
poor motor co-ordination, confusion, lethargy, and poor memory. The patient is a 65-year-old
woman who has recently lost her husband and has only one son. She lives alone and has no one
who can take care of her, as her only son has moved out of the house and lives with his family.
Due to poor motor co-ordination, she was not able to walk properly due to lack of normal posture
and balance, which limits her interaction with the neighbors and other distant family members
and feels isolated. The patient often experience emotional outbursts and acts aggressively which
makes it difficult for the nurse to handle the patient. Upon interviewing the patient, it is observed
that the patient sometimes appear to be confused, experiences fatigue, shortness of breathing and
dazed and her eyes also have a glazed appearance. The patient often experience memory loss and

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hence is considered at the high risk of having dementia. Due to the frequent emotional outbursts
and aggressive behavior, she was isolated from other patient. The patient has a past history of
smoking and clinical history of hypertension but did not take any hypertensive medication.
Risk assessment
Risk assessment of the patient is also done in order to assess the risk associated to
patient’s condition. According to the World Health organization (2019), the risk factor that
which can lead to mental illness in case of elderly patient is poor memory, physical inactivity,
chronic health condition, drug use, unhealthy diet and social isolation. In the case of Mrs. X, the
risk factor which has been identified for his poor mental condition is her social isolation, poor
memory, past medical history of hypertension and smoking history. The risk factor involved for
shortness of breathing and fatigue is the hypertension. As the patient lives alone, there may be a
possibility that the patient is not getting the proper diet which is also a risk factor for cognitive
decline and mood disorder (Li et al. 2016).
From the symptoms observed in case of Mrs. X, it can be stated that the patient is
suffering from cognitive decline. However, to ensure that the patient is suffering from cognitive
impairment, different diagnosis test such as, mental assessment test, neurological test and other
test is performed.
Diagnosis:
Mental state examination is defined as the structured assessment which assesses the
behavior and cognitive functioning of the body. The mental state examination is used in the case
of Mrs. X, to assess the present mental condition of the patient. In the Mental state examination,