People Living with Dementia

Debby, a 63 year old female, presents to her primary care doctor, Dr. Lakewood, for her annual check up. She mentions at the beginning of the appointment that she hasn’t been sleeping well and asks a prescription of sleeping medication. After doing a routine physical exam, Dr. Lakewood asks some background information about her sleeping problems. Debby states that it started about one month ago and was probably due to the change in temperature with the start of summer, as it gives her increased hot flashes. Dr. Lakewood presses Debby, asking if any other notable events happened about one month ago. After thinking for a minute, Debby states that her best friend Suzanne was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer the same week the sleeping problems started, but it can’t be the reason because Suzanne is doing very well with her initial treatment. Debby also remembers that her husband came home from work stating his retirement account had taken a hit in the stock market, but they had worked through a plan with their accountant to build the account back up. When pressed further, Debby mentions that she has her annual mammogram coming up next week but she is sure it will be normal.

Instructions:

Write a paper of at least one page, with normal font size and margins, not including headers and footers, answering the following questions. Please be sure to include a Works Cited page in APA format for any references other than the textbook.

What stressors exist in Debby’s life? What types of appraisal has Debby been using to categorize her stressors?
What steps could Debby take to help her cope with these stressors? List at least 4 types of coping methods or activities, with references from either the textbook or outside articles that list their physical and psychological benefits to assist with stress reduction.

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Memory Field Assignment)

Watch and participate in the following and record your answers.

Answer the following questions in your paper:

How did you feel completing the Working Memory quiz? Did you find it easy or difficult?
Have you experienced a time when you had a lapse in working memory? Explain the situation.
How did the video “Dementia from the inside” relate back to Section 14.3 on Cognitive Processes?
Have you experienced working with or interacting with an elder with dementia? What was the most striking thing about their behavior? What questions did you have about their cognitive function while you were interacting with them?

Answer preview:

Word: 600