This case study provides a description of some of the interventions methods used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. According to Alter (2012), in Camelot Continuing Care Retirement Community some of the interventions approaches used include fabrication, deception and lying. However, some of these interventions may have some long-term effects on a patient with Alzheimer.
The article discusses the case of Sadie Cohen, who started experiencing forgetfulness and accusing people of trying to obtain her money. Some common symptoms involved the increase in the number of phone calls to her daughter to ask her questions of where her things might be in the house.
The constant cases of loss of memory prompts the clinician to use approaches through deception, as they seem to reduce the grief the patient is experiencing. Sadie experienced a lot of depression following the sale of her home and her new residence in the Care Center. Thus, an approach of deception was used. According to Alter (2012), effective behavior was achieved through the implementation of deception. Further, the lying and fabrication helped to reduce Sadie’s anxiety and fears.
The downside of using these interventions methods is that they may erase the original experiences of a patient and in the process increases memory loss. This is despite the fact that they are applied as behavioral management techniques. These techniques raise ethical concerns in the management of Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, it becomes significant to ensure the effective management of the Alzheimer’s disease the caretaker needs to ensure that the quality of the relationship with the Alzheimer’s disease patient is improved.
According to Massimi, Berry, Browne, Smyth, Watson and Baecker (2008), one of the most destructive effects of Alzheimer’s disease is the loss of identity. The maintenance of a sense of identity is one of the most common significant areas for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Rehabilitation of identity in Alzheimer’s disease may involve the use of reminiscing therapy where a caregiver uses photos to motivate a discussion with the patient. A similar approach may involve the development of digital life histories of a patient, which seeks to improve the behavior and identity of a patient (Massimi, Berry, Browne, Smyth, Watson and Baecker, 2008).
The case study explores the use and impact of ambient biographical displays such as digital life histories on the identity of Mr. H an 84-year-old British man who is in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The process involved the development of a personalized biography of Mr. H’s life, which included places he had visited and lived. The digital life histories helped to improve the level of identity of Mr. H but did not seem to restore his memory (Massimi, Berry, Browne, Smyth, Watson and Baecker, 2008). Using the digital life histories seeks to improve the relationships and communications of a person with Alzheimer’s disease and his families and friends based on Mr. H’s case. The preparation of digital life histories for a single patient is time consuming. This makes such an approach difficult to implement on a range of patients.
References
Alter, T. (2012). The growth of institutional deception in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: the case study of Sadie Cohen. Journal of Social Work Practice, 26(1), 93-107
Massimi, M., Berry, E., Browne, G., Smyth, G., Watson, P., & Baecker, R. M. (2008). An exploratory case study of the impact of ambient biographical displays on identity in a patient with Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 18(5/6), 742-765
