How do you deal with the loss of identity?
Psychology homework help
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
FIDELIS MGBEAHURU
PSY 635
ROXANNE BEHARIE
07/25/2018
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ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE IN A NUT SHELL
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible degenerative brain disease that attacks an individual especially as they age, causing them to experience cognitive and memory loss.
BRAIN DISEASE
THE BIG QUESTION
How do you deal with the loss of identity?
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BRAIN DISEASE
IMPORTANCE OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND THE IMPACT ON CAREGIVERS
Alzheimer’s patient require caregiving support as the disease progresses, and eventually their identity cannot be defined, because who you were to them, is not who they know now, therefore, the research question would be, How can you manage the loss of identity?
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BRAIN DISEASE
HOW IT HAPPENS
The progressive decline in memory loss as well as cognitive ability tends to cause them to exhibit mood swings. Alzate, (2018), “The patient initially demonstrates insidious impairment of higher intellectual functions, with alterations in mood and behavior.
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BRAIN DISEASE
PUBLISHED STUDIES ABOUT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Orona, (2002). In the research study, the researcher was able to identify the importance of identity loss, especially when family members of Alzheimer’s patient try to manage their physical presence but not the cognitive presence.
Kontos, (2004). In this research study, the researcher was concerned about the role of the nursing care provider’s knowledge caring for a total stranger with different behaviors which includes memory loss. As described in the article, “Several investigators have lamented the prevalence of negative attitudes towards individuals with Alzheimer’s disease in nursing homes”.
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BRAIN DISEASE
POTENTIAL METHOD
GROUNDED THEORY
Interviewing the family members is very critical in the research for Alzheimer’s disease because it reveals the truth on a personal experience.
It allows for personal interaction and observation with the caregiving family members that are involved in the situation.
Surveys are conducted across the board for multiple patient with Alzheimer’s.
Questionnaires are handed out too in the process for those that would not want to talk to the interviewer.
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BRAIN DISEASE
APPROPRIATE RESEARCH DESIGN
Qualitative design would be ideal for the research to determine the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on caregiving family members. I would apply the use of grounded theory, by conducting interviews, observations which will give me a better picture of what the caregiving family members are experiencing. “Qualitative data add an in-depth understanding of research results and allow the researcher to explore anomalies or subgroups within the data.” Hesse-Biber, (2010).
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BRAIN DISEASE
ETHICAL ISSUES
INFORMED CONSENT AND COFIDENTIALITY
American Psychological Association. (2010), 8.03 Informed consent for recording voices and images in research. Psychologists obtain informed consent from research participants prior to recording their voices or images for data collection. American Psychological Association. (2010), “6.01, Documentation of Professional and Scientific Work and Maintenance of Records.) (b) If confidential information concerning recipients of psychological services is entered into databases.”
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BRAIN DISEASE
ETHICAL ISSUES
ADDRESSING ETHICAL ISSUES
It is important to explain to the caregiving family member the purpose of the research and what the research will include, and let them know that they may not answer any question if they decide not to answer.
Also, it is important to inform the family members that their information will not be shared without their written or verbal permission.
I believe it will address the ethical issues that could arise if it was not addressed before the research.
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BRAIN DISEASE
CONCLUSION
FAMILY MEMBER LOSING IDENTITY
The research process was able to identify real life experience by caregiving family members which gave a clearer perspective of the gradual loss of who they are and who they have become to the Alzheimer’s family member. As indicated in the journal, “Support must be forthcoming to aid in the loss that is being sustained: that of a person, a relationship, and of a self.” Orona, (2002). The research will give caregiving family members new techniques on how to manage their family member with Alzheimer’s disease identity loss.
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BRAIN DISEASE
Reference
Alzate, L. (2018). Alzheimer’s Disease. Nutritional Perspectives: Journal Of The Council On
Nutrition, 41(2), 28-35.
American Psychological Association. (2010).
Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct: Including 2010 amendments (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
Hesse-Biber, S. N. (2010). Mixed methods research: Merging theory with practice. New York,
NY: Guilford Press.
BRAIN DISEASE
Reference
Kontos, P. (2004). Embodied selfhood: Redefining agency in Alzheimer’s disease. In E. Tulle (Ed.), Old age and agency (pp. 105–121). Huntington, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
Orona, C. (2002). Temporality and identity loss due to alzheimer’s disease. In Huberman, A. M.,
& Miles, M. B. The qualitative researcher’s companion (pp. 367-391). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd. doi: 10.4135/9781412986274
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IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY
AND PUBLIC HEALTH
