NR 603 Week 2 Discussion_Case 3 Mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer s disease

Professor and class, My assigned patient is an 82-year-old male who presents with complaints of frequent headaches, light sensitivity and difficulty organizing his activities for the past few months. He reports these issues started after losing his wife, which was very stressful. The headaches occur several times per week, in the afternoon, and are accompanied by light sensitivity. He denies trauma, visual changes, weakness or dizziness. He has had similar headaches in the past. He also reports mild memory issues, especially recalling tasks and organizing daily activities. He lives alone and has reduced physical activity and social engagement. Compare and contrast your assigned client’s presentation for each assigned diagnosis. Consider factors such as demographics, onset of symptoms, history of present illness, and associated risk factors. Case #3 Mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease Mild cognitive impairment is characterized by noticeable memory changes. It is more pronounced than normal aging but does not interfere with the ability to live independently. Patients with mild cognitive impairment often lose thing, have difficulty recalling events or following conversations. Mild cognitive impairment can be caused by depression, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid issues, and sleep disorders. This patient is at risk for Mild cognitive impairment due to several factors. He is 82, he recently lost his spouse, he lives alone and is socially isolated. These symptoms started shortly after the loss of his spouse. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by memory loss, confusion, and difficulties with reasoning, planning, and language, and leads to impaired judgment and personality changes. Symptoms typically appear in the mid 60s and are more common in women than men. This patient’s symptoms are more characteristic of Mild cognitive impairment than Alzheimer’s disease because he is still able to live independently. He has also had a recent stressor with the death of his spouse. He reports recent social isolation. He is alert and oriented to person, place and time and has mild hesitation on recall tasks. Compare and contrast the diagnostic criteria (assessment findings and diagnostic tests) for your assigned client and diagnoses. Support your response with the most current clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for each diagnosis support with grief and depression. This patient should have more frequent follow up to monitor for any worsening cognitive function. Consider how this week’s care setting (a clinic with access to resources) impacts the assessment, diagnosis, and management of these diagnoses. Explain your rationale. Most outpatient settings do not have the access to diagnostic tools such as imaging or labs as quickly as an inpatient or emergency room setting. Outpatient clinics rely heavily on patient assessments to make their diagnoses, and support them with imaging and labs, or use them to rule out other conditions. Most outpatient settings do not have urgent imaging capabilities so providers must be confident in their interview and assessment skills. Clinics within larger health networks may have more immediate access to services such as behavioral health or nutritional specialists, labs and imaging within their health system to help the provider manage this patient’s