NSG 4067 Week 4 Project-Analysis of an Age-Related Topic

Definition of the problem

Aging comes with various progressive diseases. Among the progressive conditions that affect individuals is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is an advanced, permanent disease that gradually obliterates memory and intellectual skills, eventually affecting an individual’s ability to carry out simple and minor tasks (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). Usually, Alzheimer’s disease affects persons in their mid-60s, whereby more than six million Americans have dementia, initially caused by Alzheimer’s (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). The leading cause of Alzheimer’s is an abdominal accumulation of proteins in and around the brain’s cells. The proteins that build up around and in the brain comprise tau, the main protein (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). Also, amyloid proteins accumulate around the brain cells, eventually forming plagues that affect the brain’s functioning.

Specific affected population

Alzheimer’s mainly affects individuals in their mid-sixties. According to a CDC report, more than five million people in the United States live with Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). Mostly, the ailment begins at the age of sixty, where the symptoms and effects of the disease progress. According to the CDC, the affected population has increased over time, whereby the number of patients recorded multiplies twice after five years (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). The ailment is associated with aging; thus, it is a risk factor among individuals. In the United States, at least one person among ten people aged sixty-five years and above is affected by Alzheimer’s disease, which later results in dementia when the individuals reach eighty-five (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). Alzheimer’s tends to worsen over time, making it a progressive disease that is associated with symptoms of dementia (Burke et al., 2018). According to the Alzheimer’s Association (2019), more than 200,000 individuals below sixty-five years experience early symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

Cultural implications of Alzheimer

The number of patients with Alzheimer’s is increasing over time, resulting in the number of patients coming from different races in the United States (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). Therefore, the percentage of patients with Alzheimer’s is a record from the existing diverse cultural communities. Findings from studies indicate that many African Americans have Alzheimer’s since the cultural group is proliferating (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). Also, African Americans are less likely to acquire Alzheimer’s due to their eating habits and lifestyles. According to Arranz and De Strooper (2019), the existing cultural values affect the rate at which Alzheimer’s disease spreads. Since the disease is associated with the lifestyle one is accustomed to, Whites are at a higher risk of acquiring the condition due to their eating habits and cultural values.

Financial/legal/ethical implications for the population related to Alzheimer

Since Alzheimer’s disease is an ailment associated with persons aged sixty- five years and above, the condition results in serious health problems that necessitate finances to treat (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). The state is associated with financial exploitation since the treatment and prevention of the disease using any money. According to the Alzheimer’s Association (2019), treatment of the disease costs at least $74 per patient, exclusive of home care services. The cost of treating one patient per year sums up to $ 105,850 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). For that reason, the financial implications brought about by Alzheimer’s significantly affect the impacted population.

The ethical implications for the population related to Alzheimer’s result from the ethical issues brought about during care delivery. Ethically, Alzheimer’s disease is associated with a particular lifestyle whereby a group of vulnerable individuals is affected (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). The legal implications are linked to the number of legal patients and legal issues associated with the disease. The severe impediments of the disease are related to dementia the inability to think correctly, thus the need for legal implications.

Interventions used to improve Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s is associated with aging, making the disease a common cause of dementia among the aged. According to Tassy et al. (2019), the major issue with Alzheimer’s disease is that the illness affects the neuro-functioning of aging individuals. Over time, scholars have come together to formulate possible interventions to improve Alzheimer’s progressive disease. The interventions are;

Social interactions

Once individuals are exposed to social engagements, the chances of developing Alzheimer’s symptoms are minimized. Social interactions are effective interventions to improve Alzheimer’s because experts have verified that once the human brain is socially engaged, the brain becomes active, reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer’s, which progresses and leads to dementia (Rajasekhar and Govindaraju, 2018). Social interactions can be carried out through engagement with friends and social media platforms such as Facebook.

Regular exercise

According to the Alzheimer’s Association (2019), regular exercise is one of the most appropriate interventions for improving Alzheimer’s progressive disease among the aged. Rajasekhar and Govindaraju (2018) stated that regular exercise minimizes the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by at least fifty percent. When the target population is subjected to regular physical activity, the target group gets a better opportunity to prevent the accumulation of proteins around and in the brain, thus minimizing the chances of acquiring the disease.

NSG 4067 Week 4 Project-Analysis of an Age-Related Topic

Incorporating healthy diets

Alzheimer’s is associated with a specific lifestyle connected to the diets that one is subjected to. Integrating healthy eating habits is an effective remedy to improve Alzheimer’s since the ailment is associated with poor eating habits (Rajasekhar and Govindaraju, 2018). Consuming high sugar content, carbohydrates, and alcohol affects the brain metabolism, which might result in Alzheimer’s. The foods that affect brain metabolism result in brain diabetes,, commonly known as Alzheimer’s. Therefore, eating healthy foods is essential for mitigating Alzheimer’s progressive disease.

Resources available to mitigate Alzheimer

For the CDC and doctors to mitigate Alzheimer’s, there are resources required. Resources are necessary since patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s require intensive care and reserves, which provide care to the patients in the patients during their early stages. When Alzheimer’s patients are offered intensive care during the early stages of the ailment, managing and controlling the condition becomes easy (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). The available resources to mitigate Alzheimer’s include human resources from faith-based groups. On the other hand, financial resources are not fully open to help control Alzheimer’s.

Costs associated with the interventions identified.

Interventions associated with Alzheimer’s necessitate finances to implement the interventions (Reed et al., 2020). Alzheimer’s progressive disease mainly results in dementia among patients. Alzheimer’s also caused 0.2% of the deaths recorded in adults aged sixty-five years old and above in the United States (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). Due to the increased risks caused by Alzheimer’s progressive ailment, the United States government has set aside a healthcare sector to deal with the disease (Reed et al., 2020). Professionals, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, chiropodists, optometrists, and language therapists, are dedicated to implementing interventions (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019).

In 2020, the projected cost of Alzheimer’s treatment in the United States was approximately $306 billion. The prices are expected to increase over time since the number of patients with Alzheimer’s is anticipated to increase (Reed, 2020). Due to the increase in the number of patients, the cost of treatment may sum up to a trillion dollars. The cost of intervention recorded in 2020 does not include the cost of home-care services provided by caregivers; thus, intervening measures are more costly for ordinary citizens and the nation.

Medicare and Medicaid also contribute to the enactment of possible prevention and improvement measures for Alzheimer’s.

Sustainability of the interventions

The interventions stated above are effective in preventing and controlling Alzheimer’s. The interventions are projected to become sustainable since the suggested interventions have been tested and highly contribute to preventing progressive disease (Reed et al., 2020). Interventions such as incorporating healthy diets, consistent exercising, and social interactions ought to control Alzheimer’s disease. Also, good nutrition aids in mitigation measures since diet is essential.

Conclusion

Alzheimer’s is an ailment that is associated with aging, and it results in dementia. Alzheimer’s primarily affects the old aged between sixty-five years and above. For that reason, Alzheimer’s is a progressive ailment that is associated with the old. Alzheimer’s progressive disease is associated with cultural implications since the disease is linked to the lifestyle that an individual is accustomed to. Alzheimer’s is financially draining since the cost of treatment is expensive.

References

Alzheimer’s Association. (2019). 2019 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. Alzheimer’s & dementia, 15(3), 321-387.

Arranz, A. M., & De Strooper, B. (2019). The role of astroglia in Alzheimer’s disease: pathophysiology and clinical implications. The Lancet Neurology, 18(4), 406-414.

Burke, S. L., Cadet, T., Alcide, A., O’Driscoll, J., & Maramaldi, P. (2018). Psychosocial risk factors and Alzheimer’s disease: the associative effect of depression, sleep disturbance, and anxiety. Aging & mental health, 22(12), 1577-1584.

Rajasekhar, K., & Govindaraju, T. (2018). Current progress, challenges, and prospects of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in Alzheimer’s disease. RSC advances, 8(42), 23780-23804.

Reed, C., Belger, M., Andrews, J. S., Tockhorn-Heidenreich, A., Jones, R. W., Wimo, A., … & Haro, J. M. (2020). Factors associated with long-term impact on informal caregivers during Alzheimer’s Disease dementia progression: 36-month results from GERAS. International psychogeriatrics, 32(2), 267-277.

Tassy, S., Konsta, A., & Azorin, J. M. (2019). Neurobiology of Aging. In Psychobiology of Behaviour (pp. 161-170). Springer, Cham.

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Question

NSG 4067 Week 4 Project-Analysis of an Age-Related Topic

Conduct an in-depth analysis of a pertinent topic related to aging.

Include the following in your analysis:

Define the problem.
Identify the specific population affected. Describe cultural implications.
Describe financial/legal/ethical implications for the population related to the problem.
Describe 2-3 interventions that can be used to improve the problem.
Describe resources available to improve the problem.
Describe costs associated with the interventions identified.
Discuss the sustainability of the interventions.
Support your responses with examples.