Alzheimer

Alzheimer

Background

The purpose of this research is to know more about the disease, Alzheimer and to assess the impact of being a caregiver to a patient of Alzheimer. Alzheimer's disease is the degeneration of brain tissue, which results in loss of nerve cells. Alzheimer's disease is a brain processes that leads to impaired memory, thinking ability and a sense of orientation to the next stage of personality changes and loss of speech. The following are the symptoms of this disease:

Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease

Difficulty in performing routine tasks, from simple to complex, such as dressing, bathing, etc.

Difficulty in choosing the right words, and slow of speech disorders

Difficulties arise especially if the patient is given the name of the object, in response to a question asked by surprise

Memory impairment, memory impairment primarily on current events

Disorientation

Impaired ability to abstract or concrete thinking

Disorders and proper assessment situations

Distraction

Psychiatric Disorders in Alzheimer's Disease

Mood Disorders

Delusions

Hallucinations

Undiagnosed or mistaken identification of people

Behavioral disorders in Alzheimer's disease

Agitation

Aggression

Catastrophic reaction

Caring for Alzheimer Patients

Caring for individuals that are facing the chronic illness of Alzheimer's disease can be about providing basic needs to the patient with total dependency for social, emotional and economic requirements. Most of the time, families try to struggle with such members in the family, who are inflicted with chronic illness emotionally and physically. However, many family members are not able to provide adequate care to patients with Alzheimer's disease; therefore, caregivers are often asked to care for such patients (www.ahaf.org).

Alzheimer's disease is an ever-growing disease that has impacted many lives and families in the U.S. It has been estimated by the Alzheimer's Association (2007) that there are more than 5 million individuals that are living with the disease in the United States. Also, studies have found that during every seventy two seconds, a person is diagnosed with the disease. The disease is considered to be progressive, degenerative disease of the brain and it is the most common type of dementia. Further, there are many kinds of dementia that consist of MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment), body dementia, vascular dementia, mixed dementia, CJD (Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease), normal pressure hydrocephalus, Huntington's disease, Wernicke - Korsakoff syndrome, AIDS, head trauma, and Pick's disease.

Research Question

What are the effects of being a Caregiver to One who has Alzheimer's Disease?

Method

For this research, secondary data will be used.

Secondary Data

The usefulness of secondary data is for the researcher who has limited time and resource for gathering data. Sometimes secondary data could have sufficient data, which might help researcher to get the enough information by do not need to get any primary data in some part of the research. The secondary data, which included previous literature and statistical information, also help research in order to increase the reliability and validity of the primary research as well.

In contrast, secondary data might not have the information that meet the demand of researcher needs. Moreover in some case, it might be costly and hard to access to get data. Furthermore in some source of information also have bias that make data ...