The Impact of Alzheimer's Disease and Caregivers - Essay Sample

Introduction

Characterized by impairment of mental ability, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common disorder among the elderly as it accounts for 60-70% of dementia cases (Elif Taskapilioglu &Bakar 2017, p. 1). Improper thinking abilities and memory loss characterize the irreversible condition, and thus, the development and aggravation of this disorder necessitate caregivers to maintain quality life among victims. In the process of offering services to victims, AD impacts on caregivers in the following ways.

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Physical Impact

AD caregivers report high levels of physical distress due to continuous attention they must pay to their patients and the numerous housework they perform (Kimura Maffioletti Santos Baptista & Duarado 2015, p. 4). In most cases, this happens because they have no help. Thus, it becomes a physical burden, and this is characterized by exhaustion. Consider a scenario where a wife of an AD patient has to help her husband, outweighing her by 100 pounds, get in and out of bed. Again, consider the interrupted and short hours of sleep she experiences as well as the heavy load of work she does. These events impact yield fatigue in the caregiver, and this is because there is neither time for resting nor decompression (Lu & Bludau 2011, p. 93). To this end, most caregivers report cases of insomnia, and this impact on their general health, especially mental and emotional health.

Emotional and Psychological Distress

Technically, the emotional and psychological distress occurs among caregivers due to the onset and aggravation of AD among the elderly and this is because of the loss of intimacy in the patient-caregiver relationship (Kimura Maffioletti Santos Baptista & Dorado 2015, p. 3). Such caregivers demonstrate sadness, depression, frustration, grief as well as anger. This happens because they feel for the families of their patients and the patients themselves. However, anger, anxiety, and stress arise from the fact that AD patients cannot cope up with care or they become unbearably stubborn. For instance, caregivers' frustration is potentiated by the fact that an AD patient may not be able to get dressed despite being taught frequently. Emotional fluctuation is also a function of the physical impacts of caregiving to AD patients. In most cases, it happens when the caregiver's AD patients' demands interrupt their caregivers' sleep (Lu & Bludau p. 93). Emotional and psychological distress varies through the early, middle and the late stages of the disease (Elif Taskapilioglu &Bakar 2017, p. 3). In the early stages, the emotional and psychological stress are not severe. This is because the patients are not severely affected as they can coordinate most of their activities. However, as the disease proceeds to the middle and late stages, their demands and needs increase. Thus, caregivers give much attention and offer many services. The net effect of this increased emotional and psychological distress and part of this is contributed by increased physical impacts such as severe insomnia and fatigue.

Social Impact

Most caregivers are restricted to rigorous routines and schedules. As such, they are often isolated and receive minimal social support (Kimura Maffioletti Santos Baptista & Dorado 2015, p. 5). This happens because caregivers lose their independence as they offer services to AD patients depending on them. For instance, caregivers suffer poor interpersonal relationships in society since their commitment to service delivery does not allow them to interact with other members of society. Like physical, emotional and psychological impacts, the social impact of caregiving, among caregivers, increases as the AD condition advances from the early stages although to the late stages. Normally, there are no severe impacts on patients in the early stages. As such, caregivers may be flexible enough to find time for their social life. However, as the disorder advances, caregivers are tied to services delivery. To this end, DA patients require much attention and services, and this ranges from basic aspects of life such as hygiene to other miscellaneous activities such as movement from home to social amenities or wherever they would want to go. It is under such circumstances that caregivers dedicate themselves for round-the-clock service delivery. This is a characteristic feature of full-time caregivers offering services at the residential places of such patients (Cox 2007, p. 372). In other cases, the caregivers are too exhausted to find time for social activities. This is because of their commitment, especially when the patient is at the late stages of the disorders. Thus, whenever such caregivers are free or have some free time, they tend to sleep or rest. Eventually, they lose the quality of social life.

Conclusion

AD is a form of dementia, and this means that its patients suffer memory loss. This necessitates caregiving. The disorder has three distinct phases in with which its severity increases from the early stage to the late stages. This means that the severity of memory issues increases. This has a direct impact on the caregivers' lives, and again, as the diseases progress to the late stages, it demands much attention from the caregivers. These impacts manifest physically, socially, emotionally and psychologically. Episodes of fatigue, stress, frustration, and social isolation characterize the effects. Still, these effects intensify as the disorder progresses.

References

Cox, C. B. (2007). Dementia and social work practice: research and interventions. New York: Springer Pub., 2007. Accessed on April 4, 2019 https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=_5Owxl4NaC4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=social+impact+of+alzheimer%27s+disease+on+caregivers&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjul42fl7bhAhUL8uAKHQMQCdkQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=social%20impact%20of%20alzheimer's%20disease%20on%20caregivers&f=false

Elif, K.O.C.A., Taskapilioglu, O. & Bakar, M., 2017. Caregiver burden in different stages of Alzheimer's disease. Archives of Neuropsychiatry, 54(1), p.82. Accessed on April 4, 2019, doi: 10.5152/npa.2017.11304.

Kimura, N.R., Maffioletti, V.L., Santos, R.L., Baptista, M.A.T. & Dourado, M.C., 2015. Psychosocial impact of early-onset dementia among caregivers. Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy, 37(4), pp.213-219. Accessed on April 4, 2019, http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S2237-60892015003400213&script=sci_arttext

Lu, L. C., & Bludau, J. 2011. Alzheimer's disease. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood, 2011. Accessed on April 4, 2019, https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=6gskihyGEQ0C&pg=PA93&dq=physical+impact+of+alzheimer%27s+disease+on+caregivers&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj6j-a8hbbhAhVsA2MBHaoUDtIQ6AEIUTAH#v=onepage&q=physical%20impact%20of%20alzheimer's%20disease%20on%20caregivers&f=false.