Abstract This paper reviews the case of 23-year-old Marisol Arroyo and her 68-year-old mother, Julia. Julia has been experiencing lapses in her short-term memory, forgetting simple tasks she completes every day, such as driving home from the grocery store, and even being unable to remember recently held conversations. Marisol Arroyo brought her mother to her local primary care office to help rule out whether Marisol’s mother, Julia, is experiencing a form of Alzheimer’s dementia or delirium. This paper will help to explore the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s dementia, the possible clinical progression of such a diagnosis, and what a prognosis would look like for Julia. Lastly, we will discuss a care plan that includes short- and long-term plans…show more content… Defined as an “acquired deterioration and a progressive failure of many cerebral functions” (Rogers, Pg. 527, 2023), dementia includes the impairment of mental and physical functions such as memory, language, decision-making, and the ability to intellectually process thoughts and memories. Dementia is further classified by the etiological cause of the disease process, such as neurologic disorders, vascular disorders, genetics, infections, or even trauma. While dementia historically appears to be a debilitating and curable disease process, there are both reversible and non-reversible causes. Those forms that can be reversed include dementia caused by infection, disease processes causing pressure on the brain, nutritional deficits, medications, and metabolic disorders (Rogers, 2023). Those forms that are irreversible include dementia caused by vascular diseases, HIV-related dementia,…show more content… 2024. The. Stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/stages#::text=Alzheimer’s%20disease%20typically%20progresses%20slowly,progress%20through%20the%20stages%20—%20differently. CDC. (2020, October 26). What is Alzheimer’s disease? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/aging/aginginfo/alzheimers.htm#:text=Alzheimer’s%20disease%20is%20the%20mostthought%2C%20memory%2C%20and%20language. Ciesielska, N., Sokoowski, R., Mazur, E., Podhorecka, M., Polak-Szabela, A., & Kdziora-Kornatowska, K. (2016). Is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) test better suited than the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) detection among people aged over 60? meta-analysis. The results of the study. Psychiatria Polska, 50(5), 1039–1052. https://doi.org/10.12740/pp/45368 Gibbor, L., Yates, L., Volkmer, A., & Spector, A. (2020) - The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) for dementia: A systematic review of qualitative research. Aging & Mental Health, 25(6), 980–990.
