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Living and Dying with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Presentation

Received: 13 July 2015     Accepted: 16 July 2015     Published: 25 July 2015
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Abstract

The following is a case presentation on the life of Leslie Bernard Wynne, an individual crippled by Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) during the last five years of his life. The case study briefly describes the disease process, discusses the genetic component of late-onset AD in regards to the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene, provides a suggested care plan which spans the course of illness from diagnosis until death, outlines treatment options, highlights common comorbidities, and considers the availability of genetic testing. Recommendations based on best practices and research available are provided throughout and have been integrated into the suggested plan of care. The case study also includes recollections of the family of Mr. Wynne during his illness and exposes the great emotional and physical toll that Alzheimer’s takes beyond the diagnosed individual.

Published in American Journal of Nursing Science (Volume 4, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajns.20150404.20
Page(s) 212-217
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Alzheimer’s Disease, APOE Gene, Case Study, Plan of Care, Genetic Counseling

References
[1] Hebert, L. E., Weuve, J., Scherr, P. A., & Evans, D. A. (2013). Alzheimer disease in the United States (2010–2050) estimated using the 2010 census. Neurology, 80(19), 1778–1783. http://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e31828726f5
[2] Alois Alzheimer. (2015). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alois_Alzheimer
[3] Alzheimer’s Association. (2015a). 2015 Alzheimer’s Disease facts and figures: Includes a special report on disclosing a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/facts/downloads/facts_figures_2015.pdf
[4] National Institute on Aging. (n.d.). About Alzheimer’s Disease: Alzheimer’s Basics. Retrieved from http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/alzheimers-basics
[5] Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center. (2011). Alzheimer’s Disease genetics: Fact sheet. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Health, Publication No. 11-6424.
[6] Holtzman, D. M., Herz, J., & Bu, G. (2012). Apolipoprotein E and Apolipoprotein E Receptors: Normal Biology and Roles in Alzheimer Disease. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, 2(3). http://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a006312
[7] Loy, C. T., Schofield, P. R., Turner, A. M., & Kwok, J. B. (2014). Genetics of dementia. The Lancet, 383(9919), 828–840. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60630-3
[8] Goldman, J. S., Hahn, S. E., Catania, J. W., Larusse-Eckert, S., Butson, M. B., Rumbaugh, M., … Bird, T. (2011). Genetic counseling and testing for Alzheimer disease: joint practice guidelines of the American College of Medical Genetics and the National Society of Genetic Counselors. Genetics in Medicine: Official Journal of the American College of Medical Genetics, 13(6), 597–605. http://doi.org/10.1097/GIM.0b013e31821d69b8
[9] Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center. (2014). Assessing cognitive impairment in older patients: A quick guide for primary care physicians. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Health.
[10] Alzheimer’s Association. (2015b). Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiver Center. Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/care/overview.asp
[11] Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center. (2008). Alzheimer’s Disease medications: Fact sheet. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Health, Publication No. 08-3431.
[12] Fillit, H. M. (2000). The pharmacoeconomics of Alzheimer’s disease. The American Journal of Managed Care, 6(22 Suppl), S1139–1144; discussion S1145–1148.
[13] Phelan, E. A., Borson, S., Grothaus, L., Balch, S., & Larson, E. B. (2012). Association of incident dementia with hospitalizations. JAMA, 307(2), 165–172. http://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.1964
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  • APA Style

    Lorena M. De La Rosa. (2015). Living and Dying with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Presentation. American Journal of Nursing Science, 4(4), 212-217. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajns.20150404.20

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    ACS Style

    Lorena M. De La Rosa. Living and Dying with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Presentation. Am. J. Nurs. Sci. 2015, 4(4), 212-217. doi: 10.11648/j.ajns.20150404.20

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    AMA Style

    Lorena M. De La Rosa. Living and Dying with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Presentation. Am J Nurs Sci. 2015;4(4):212-217. doi: 10.11648/j.ajns.20150404.20

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajns.20150404.20,
      author = {Lorena M. De La Rosa},
      title = {Living and Dying with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Presentation},
      journal = {American Journal of Nursing Science},
      volume = {4},
      number = {4},
      pages = {212-217},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajns.20150404.20},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajns.20150404.20},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajns.20150404.20},
      abstract = {The following is a case presentation on the life of Leslie Bernard Wynne, an individual crippled by Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) during the last five years of his life. The case study briefly describes the disease process, discusses the genetic component of late-onset AD in regards to the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene, provides a suggested care plan which spans the course of illness from diagnosis until death, outlines treatment options, highlights common comorbidities, and considers the availability of genetic testing. Recommendations based on best practices and research available are provided throughout and have been integrated into the suggested plan of care. The case study also includes recollections of the family of Mr. Wynne during his illness and exposes the great emotional and physical toll that Alzheimer’s takes beyond the diagnosed individual.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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Author Information
  • Marybelle and S. Paul Musco School of Nursing and Health Professions, Brandman University, Irvine, California

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