Alzheimer-Related Disabilities
Alzheimer-Related Disabilities
Alzheimer diseases is a prolonged neurodegenerative ailment that gradually worsens in afflicted individuals. According to Alzheimer’s Association. (2019), approximately more than forty million individuals are known to suffer from the ailment and are grappling with numerous adverse effects. In most cases, the ailment’s onset is characterized by symptoms of memory loss, mood swings, disorientation and behavioural challenges that normally worsen with time. In this case, Ellen, a 64 year old American of Chinese descent diagnosed with Alzheimer, affecting her duties as a secretary. Being a widow with two children, her main reason for retirement is to gain access to quality care. Therefore, the following are the fundamental aspects that Ellen and her children should explore to guarantee an easy switch to retirement.
Ellen’s Retirement
In most instances, Alzheimer results in reduced workplace productivity, therefore forcing patients to take an early retirement. Family members are as a result left with the emotional overload and the responsibility of assisting close members of the family to make substantial shift to retirement and deal with with the adjustments. Both Ellen and her children can institute the processes through proactive assessment of the retirement revenue formulation procedure. This may be achieved through consultation of a financial adviser as it aids the family’s understanding the costs involved during care. The existence of Ellen’s children is valuable to her general plans of retiring as it aids in making discreet financial pronouncements. Also, it is important for Ellen to develop a will that is considered critical in planning her estate, her financial components as well as her assets. Engaging powers of Attorney will guarantee that other capable persons make great pronouncements on behalf Ellen in case she is severely sick.
Ellen’s Future Healthcare plans
Advanced care panning is crucial for individuals ailing from Alzheimer’s ailment. It enables the convalescents schedule future healthcare strategies, crucial for their health. At the heart of the strategies is a candid conversation regarding a person’s principles and the practicality of the available options. Early development of proposal will ensure that Ellen receives quality care while averting any cases of distress within the family. Knowledge of the disease and its swift degeneration ensures Ellen’s awareness of its progression and the form of care required in each phase. Engaging a strong team of professionals to provide care ensures patient safety during each phase, minimizing cases of tension and overall feeling of being devastated. Therefore, it is crucial for the inclusion of Ellen’s grownup children into the team providing care as they are capable of assisting Ellen accomplish the basic fundamental duties.
Ellen’s housing
The aspect of housing is one the fundamental components of support services for individuals ailing from Alzheimer’s disease. It is always noteworthy to acknowledge that a person’s requirements change because of ailing. Therefore, it may compel them to make adjustments in regards to housing. In this case, Ellen might be able reside at her residence, notwithstanding the few adjustments that have to be made to aid her everyday routines. Even though she may possess the ability to conduct her fundamental activities, the disease fast progression may necessitate her to engage additional care to safeguard her health. Nonetheless, her grownup children are idyllic in provision of informal sustenance to guarantee safe dwelling in her residence. They may assist in payment of bills, cleaning, cooking and guarantee she adheres to her medical appointments. Adjustments within her residence will help in reducing any case of falls.
Ellen’s Financial Situation
Assessing and planning finances is a core subject for individuals with Alzheimer disease. The resources are an important element in assisting individuals to access quality care without having any form of distress. In this case, Ellen’s family may start by first acquiring a financial statement from her lending institution. Every asset and debt in her name will be evaluated along with identification of specific members that may be incorporated in the financial plans. The nursing costs shall also be integrated to ascertain that every individual involved is aware of all the current and future costs are catered for. Additionally, Ellen may also review benefits from the government that she may be eligible for to cater for every cost during medication. She also has the chance of reviewing the long-term insurance policies on offer they are crucial in settling her expenses.
Ellen’s ability to perform her job effectively
Alzheimer has a negative impact on every aspect of a person’s life. In most instances, productivity within a workstation is affected as a decline in the cognitive capabilities is experienced and may as well alter the decision making process. Being the secretary, Ellen is charged with the responsibility of planning the executive’s day. Her capability to effectively perform her duties initially starts by disclosing her position to her employer to assist in meeting the firm’s principles. As a result, she will be in apposition to receive assistance from the company’s management to avert the probability substandard jobs. Rational proposals stipulated in the Americans with Disabilities Act may be invoked to assist in coping within the environment with a cognitive infirmity. In this case, employees can offer verbal instructions through voice recordings or checklists with pertinent data. Therefore, Ellen will have the ability to effectively conduct her duties and preserve the financial status of the firm.
The Disease Progression and its Effect on Her Activities of Daily Living
There are important abilities that each person needs to cope with their physical requirements. It consists of wide range of aspects that include continence, eating and individual cleaning. Basically, these talents are regularly understood by persons from early phase and conserved as part of their mental functioning. The ailment’s onset basically signifies that the duties are disrupted and makes life gradually challenging. As the disease progresses, there is a higher chance that Ellen’s self-sufficiency, diminishing the quality life. She is likely to incur extra expenses and might ultimately institutionalized. Memory challenges are also believed to increase and are likely to interfere with basic activities. In advance stages of the ailment, inferior decision-making can be a regular happening as the decision making skills may be disorderly.
Advanced Directives
Advanced directives are exigency procedures that guarantees that all future ineptness are effectively handled. It is a vital part of the medical procedures as inclusion of experienced persons diminishes the likelihood of hostile impacts that may possibly affect a patient ailing from the disease. Advance directives help the convalescent in the decision making process if unconscious. In this case, her condition is expected to deteriorate with time, making advanced directives a vital aspect. She may be incapable of communicating her desires in regards to treatment and therefore having to inscribe. Any decision based on her health care made by the caregivers should also correspond with her original pronouncements. Her desires must be prioritized when it becomes clear that their security is a challenge to avert any chance of unforeseen situations that may affect their health. However, she also has the rights of rejecting any form of treatment if it is apparent that she is proficient. The privilege of making pertinent pronouncements is always safeguarded and upheld until point of demise.
Funeral Plans
Death is an inevitable aspect for every person. Convalescents ailing from the disease know that the illness often leads to passing away. Therefore, a candid discussion relating to death and funeral plans is important to guarantee that the patient’s final requests are respected. Deliberating on the interment arrangements might be an intricate procedure, but is also an essential component for the patients, families, and caregivers (Lin et al., 2019). Ellen should therefore openly communicate her requests that she may like to be honoured. Advance directives will ensure that every preference is documented and acknowledged by caregivers. Ellen might choose to offer precise facts of the environment she may desire during her internment. Furthermore, Ellen might opt to reject a life-sustaining care to her imminent demise. Funeral arrangements will lessen improbability; letting the household become completely cognizant of the interment site or incineration.
Social Supports Available to Ellen
Social support is crucial when aiming to manage the ailment and other related conditions. Convalescents suffer adverse effects such as the ability to accomplish the basic and fundamental aspects as well as grave mental impairment. In recent years, social support emerged as an inventive form of service managed by trusted experts. Ailing patients greatly benefit from the service through social exchanges that aid brain stimulation. Advancement of the disease is frequently typified by sudden segregation and lack of enthusiasm. Therefore, social support institutions were instituted to help patients handle awkward moments. Ellen may either be part of an individual aid group, night care or palliative care. Night care social support offers household care provisions; treatment gets them ready for death while palliate attention is provided to convalescents to alleviate their symptoms.
The Role of Ellen’s Culture on her Family’s Decision
Prompt analysis is important in assisting relatives cope with the certainty of offering for a member of the family ailing from the disease. Americans of Chinese descent are a high-risk faction that delays in seeking treatment and may only seek assistance if neuropsychiatric signs are grave(Yatczak, 2019). In this case, Ellen’s family acts swiftly to avert this form of eventuality. Although there is extreme humiliation linked to the illness, Ellen’s family children appear courageous to the criticism by utilizing biomedical facts that assist them in understanding the condition.
Conclusion
The ailment is a incapacitating condition that distresses numerous aspects of life in the person concerned. Ellen, a 64-year-old American of Asian descent, aims at understanding the disease repercussions and the steps taken to make adjustments to facilitate an easier transition to retirement. The subjects assessed in the report will therefore have to be deeply assessed to ultimately assist her steer her decision towards leading a comfortable life despite having the disease.
References
Alzheimer’s Association. (2019). 2019 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 12(4), 459-509.
Lin, P. J., D’Cruz, B., Leech, A. A., Neumann, P. J., Aigbogun, M. S., Oberdhan, D., & Lavelle, T. A. (2019). Family and caregiver spillover effects in cost-utility analyses of Alzheimer’s disease interventions. Pharmacoeconomics, 37(4), 597-608.
Yatczak, J. (2019). Everyday material engagement: supporting self and personhood in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 18(1), 223-240.