Alzheimer'S: Prevention Of The Disease

Course overview

Physical therapists play a pivotal role in assisting their patients? back to recovery. Their patients include those who are suffering from debilitating injuries, disabling medical conditions, life-threatening illnesses, and devastating accidents. In order to restore normal function, alleviate physical pain, improve mobility, and prevent or minimize permanent physical disabilities, physical therapists develop individualized treatment plans. Proper exercises intended to strengthen muscles, increase flexibility, improve balance, coordination, and endurance are among the different treatment regimens physical therapists instruct and guide their patients to follow in order to successfully recover. Physical therapists? ultimate goals to improve their patients? physical functions at home and at work are not exclusive to ascribing proper exercises and activities to expedite patients? recovery. Physical therapists also serve as a resource for patients to inquire about their condition and progress. This role?s underlying purpose and mission is to inform, educate, and empower patients by increasing patient involvement and awareness of their medical conditions, physical disabilities, and the goals and objectives of their treatments. As such, physical therapists are essential to all patients? road to recovery. Thus, it is necessary that all physical therapists are well-informed and knowledgeable about many medical conditions, the corresponding physical repercussions disabling their patients, and how to effectively guide and advise their patients on successful treatment and management. In order to maintain and improve professional competence and offer higher quality physical therapy services, this home-study course seeks to provide physical therapists with findings on dementia (e.g., Alzheimer?s Disease), and its negative effects on the cognitive, behavioral, and motor functions of their patients. Next to certain cancers and cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer?s Disease (AD) is a progressive disease that is a leading cause of death in the United States. Because it is a crippling dementia that affects more than 30 million people worldwide, it is a pressing healthcare issue that needs to be efficiently addressed. As healthcare workers responsible for the well-being of their patients, it is crucial that physical therapists know what to do when faced with patients showing progressive symptoms of dementia, and also younger clients who are usually uniformed about dementia and other diseases commonly found with old age. Other types of dementia also affect both short- and long-term memory and cause complications with maintaining balance, coordination, and gait (pattern of locomotion), physical symptoms which physical therapists can help patients re-attain. This home-study course provides physical therapists with the most recent clinical and scientific information that will help them effectively manage, counsel, and educate their affected patients. The following are additional reasons why it is essential for all physical therapists to be aware of and knowledgeable about the management of patients with dementias, specifically AD. ?As AD progresses, patients gradually lose their abilities to function independently and perform their usual activities. Patients with AD become disoriented and soon lose their abilities to maintain social skills. Attention span, language skills, and both short- and long-term memory deteriorate. Serious motor deficits, including plasticity, rigidity, and urinary incontinence are also among the symptoms displayed in AD patients. Physical therapists are important in helping manage and treat patients with such motor difficulties.