Disengagement Theory And Alzheimer 's Disease

Certain qualities are consistently observed in the Alzheimer’s victim. These dysfunction’s, though, are not exclusive to Alzheimer’s disease. Consequently, declaring Alzheimer’s by these parameters is a matter of degree rather than an absolute. Characteristic dysfunction’s have been noted in Alzheimer’s victims, but the degree and severity of these varies from patient to patient. Thus, evaluation of the patient’s mental status must be made based on the sum, rather than a single characteristic. Memory is one of the first noticed deficiencies, beginning typically with the recent and short term memory, and progressing from there as the disease grows more severe. In addition, deterioration in language skills, attention span, praxis (performance of an action), and visuospatial skills are commonly seen. Also observed are changes in the actions and personality of the Alzheimer’s victim. These include changes in mood, motor activities, activities of daily living, socialization skills, psychotic disturbances, vegetative symptomology, and rise in anxiety levels. Again, the

Alzheimer’s Disease is an irreversible, genetically linked illness. This disease was chosen for the topic of this essay under the consideration that in many families the illness can be incredibly tragic, passing down for generations without mercy. It is not rare to encounter families in which each member is afflicted with a form, mild or severe, of Alzheimer’s. The disease is a progressive brain disease which comes in two separate types: Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. These will be discussed in full later on in the paper.

During the aging process, the elderly may take different approaches to aging and may apply to different theories of aging such as the disengagement theory and the activity theory. All elderly individuals will deal with aging in different ways, they may wish to stay active or they may wish to disengage themselves due to depression or they may be unable to deal with the processes of becoming older. Both of these theories of aging have completely different thoughts and views of the aging process.

An individual’s needs and abilities change over time as a result of their condition and are different for each person. All abilities involve more than one memory and dysfunction of the brain will affect a person’s abilities. Self-awareness and identity can be lost that may affects a person’s abilities and needs. Furthermore anxiety, depression, mental health issues, loss of independence, loss of companionship, change of circumstance. Moreover Seven Stages of Alzheimer's (2006) going from no impairment to very server cognitive decline shows the fluctuation of the needs and abilities.

Dementia refers to a syndrome which results in deterioration in thinking, memory, behavior, and ability to execute everyday activities and duties. Despite the fact that the syndrome is mainly associated with the older people, it is not a normal aspect or part of ageing. One of the major causes of dementia is the aspect of Alzheimer's disease. This disease contributes to about 60 to 70 percent of the cases of dementia. Dementia possesses psychological, physical, economic, and social impacts in relation to the family, caregivers, and the entire society. Dementia affects each individual in a diverse or different way with reference to the impact of the disease and personality following the development of the syndrome (Gao et al, 2013 p. 447).

There are two theories of ageing. The disengagement theory is when the elderly unfortunately start to give up with activities or social life. They become withdrawn from society. This is when you disengage from any way of contact or interaction. The reason for disengagement theory may be because physical functions deteriorate. There are three phases of disengagement theory. These are shrinkage of life space is when you are not working or have no contact with friends and family. You don’t get to meet new people. You decide not to take up any hobbies or activities. The second phase is increased individuality. This is when you become independent and what others do does not matter to you. The third phase is acceptance. You start to accept

Once an individual is diagnosed and lives with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) , there is the question of what the individuals with the disease are still capable of after much of their cognition is affected. In order to understand the disease further, these two case studies were chosen to understand the effects on the social aspects of individuals suffering from AD. The two case studies explored reveal certain patients with AD, at early to mid-stages of the disease, are possibly capable of preserving their sense of identity, expressing their identity, and responding accordingly to the care and attention they receive.

Agitation is often managed with the use of medications or restraints. The implementation of these methods can cause both psychological and physiological problems. Medications given to a person with brain damage can lead to unpredictable responses. It has been found that specifically, Benzodiazepine medications, which often result in sedation or relaxation can cause agitation, insomnia or aggression in those patients with Dementia. The treatment then for these behaviors is usually more sedative drugs; thus continuing a vicious cycle of unresolved behavior. Other side effects common in sedatives are confusion, disorientation, and blurred vision; resulting in safety concerns for the individual. Improvement in communication and modification in

Social disengagement theory is a classic social-psychological view which holds that older adults’ isolation results from a gradual and irreversible abandonment of social roles, narrowing role sets, and the weakening of existing social bonds. This point of view is now often contrasted with Activity and Continuity theories which note that older adults who adjust to later-life transitions by remaining socially active are happier and healthier. This is an exciting transition as policies and programs begin to incorporate the idea of social connectedness, rather than merely occupying the time of older adults. Leisure

In addition the views of disengagement theory views their ageing as a mutual withdrawal that the process between ageing person and the social system of which they belong such as gradual withdrawal from society. However the theory viewed that this theory is positive and right way for elderly because it is an age increased reflection that helps self-decreased emotional investment in people and events. They also believe that adults isolate themselves from society and think that it will not affect them through their li9fe stages. They also

Theories of Ageing The Disengagement Theory: This theory claims that it is natural and normal for the elder to detach from personal relationships and society as they age and withdraw from the roles they played in adulthood. The Disengagement Theory was created by social scientists Elaine Cumming and William Earle Henry and it was published in the Growing Old book in 1961. These two theorists had 9 postulates that confirm the disengagement theory. • “People lose social ties to those around them because they expect death, and their abilities to engage with others deteriorate over time.

Before she passed away a couple years ago, my grandmother exhibited characteristics of the disengagement theory. According to the textbook, this sociological theory suggests aging adults become more self-aware and feel more balanced as they choose to separate from relationships and society. My grandmother was a homemaker from Hong Kong and initially immigrated to San Francisco before settling in Dallas. Despite her lack of English language skills, she was able to immerse in San Francisco with foreigners of the same culture. She regularly engaged in tea parties and mahjong. As she aged, she started to withdraw from such activities and spent more time at home on the patio. Most of her relationships was with family. Her circle of friends were

7Cumming and Henry (1961) defined the term disengagement to refer to a process whereby people respond to aging by gradually withdrawing from the various roles and social relationships they occupied in middle age. (Zastrow,

Aging is described as a sequential, irreversible, progressive, and non-pathological process of maturation in an organism and that translates to a gradual decline in the ability to perform activities optimally. Aging is an individual process that can be a period of stress for individuals especially following their retirement (Hiller & Barrow, 2015). The current study sought to understand the process and experience of aging from the perspective of elderly individuals. In discussing matters of aging and retirement, many assume that women are always eager to retire, and adjust well, as compared to their male counterparts (Bauger & Bongaardt, 2016). Many people assume that since women are generally made as homemakers, they are willing and happy to retire while men, whose nature is to be the main source of family income, find it hard to be out of work (Moody & Sasser, 2014). Indeed, there exists very little literature that sheds some light on this area, particularly on the attitudes of each gender towards retirement and process of aging. Given the significance of retirement to this life stage, the study sought to understand the emotions and views of individuals regarding their retirement through the lenses of (1) Physical health and wellbeing, (2) Friends, Family, and Community, (3) Work and leisure, (4) Finances and lifestyles, and (5) Living

Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 out of every 8 people in the United States. It is a long and debilitating disease that affects every aspect of a person’s life from the way they preform daily tasks, to the physical and mental abilities that are diminishing. Along with the lifestyle changes that Alzheimer’s disease presents, it also affects one’s psychological perspective as well their view on what they can offer their family and society. There are some ways to maintain a level of independence with a disease of this magnitude but there are also factors in lifestyle choices that can make it worse. Alzheimer cannot be cured, it cannot be slowed, but there are ways to keep the effected person at a certain level of comfort, independence and safety