Question

Frank is a 72-year-old retired accountant. An accomplished musician and composer, Mr. Brown also worked as an organist in various churches during all of his adult life. Over the past several years, Mr. Brown has had increasing difficulty with his memory, finding that he is now unable to play familiar pieces of music that he had memorized years before. His increasing difficulty with memory and with cognitive ability has recently forced him to retire from his organist positions. Mr. Brown, accompanied by his wife, is seen at the medical clinic today. The Browns are informed that Frank is exhibiting symptoms of early Alzheimer’s disease.

1. Mr. Brown is given a prescription for donepizil. Mrs. Brown asks if this medication will cure the Alzheimer’s disease. How should the nurse respond?
2. Discuss the major points that the nurse should include in a teaching plan for the Browns regarding donepizil.
3. Frank is taking donepezil as prescribed but after one year of treatment his memory problems have increased. The medication memantine is added to his drug regimen. At his next appointment in three months, what does the nurse assess to determine if the patient is receiving the therapeutic effects and if he is exhibiting adverse effects to the medication?

Answer 1

Nurse should tell him that Alzheimers disease is not curable.but it can be treated with specific medication like donepizil.this would help to increase his life span.

Advise him to take the medication half an hour before bed time.it can be taken with out food or with food but at late evening.one dose in a day is only allowed.ask his wife to watch forany side effect or complication of donepizil.tell them to follow doctors order correctly and do the follow up vist check the effectiveness of medication.

Nurse should assess the weight of the patient as memantine can increase the weight of the patient.check the heart beat to find out bradycardia or tachcardia.check any vision problems ,dizziness or headache.if these are present which means patient has adverse effect of memantine.

While checking patients memory we can find out medicine is working or not in his body.