Exploring the Experience of Psychosis in the Older Person

Exploring the Experience of Psychosis in the Older Person Student’s Name Institution of Affiliation Course Instructor Date Exploring the Experience of Psychosis in the Older Person The cognitive impact of psychosis in old-age patients makes their management a challenge since cognitive features are already compromised. The paper presents the case of a 58-year-old male, Mr McFarlane, suffering from signs of memory loss, changes in behaviour, and spatial/temporal disorientation. In this case, the goal is to provide a person-centered, thorough assessment of the client to develop a recovery-oriented care plan. These aspects will include the problems presented by Mr. McFarlane, the possible emerging issues, and the valuable assessment tools used to determine his cognitive and psychological functioning. Furthermore, the paper will critically discuss two theories of aging and how these two theories can be applied to the case of Mr. McFarlane. Possible clinical psychiatric diagnoses will be described, as well as the most effective intervention and care approaches that may improve his quality of life. Presenting Problems and Evolving Concerns Mr. McFarlane has several issues that are indicative of early cognitive impairment, as well as probably having some mental problems. The major complaint is denial, manifested by his recent event in which he attempted to drive on the wrong side of the road because he could not figure out a new road map. The patient was questioned about the event, and because he grew up in the area and knows the roads, he could not explain his actions- this is an example of amnesia and spatial disorientation. Moreover, he has been having problems with social relationships in that he becomes agitated and paranoid, like when he accused the players at Bowls Club of cheating. Such changes in behavior indicate that Mr. McFarlane's problem is not limited to forgetfulness, as it may be suspected from the beginning. New issues and worries for the client include cognitive decline, more general memory, and confusion, which will only get worse and reduce the client's ability to perform activities of daily living and remain independent. The following shows that he was not ordinary; his failure to make work appointments was related to the forgetfulness of his keys. According to Hu et al. (2020), as long as these symptoms remain unrecognized and untreated, they have the potential to cause a dangerous situation, such as having an accident while driving, leaving the lights on and forgetting to turn them off, a common occurrence that can lead to a fire outbreak which can endanger his life and those of other people. Behaviorally, it can manifest itself in the strengthening of the paranoid attitudes of the individual, as well as in transition to more severe mental disorders, such as delusional or hallucinatory ones, about Mr. McFarlane. Such frustrations may raise complaints of memory loss, social isolation, depression or anxiety, or other related symptoms. Moreover, his pride in his health and his decision not to go to a doctor may make it even more tricky first to diagnose him and treat his condition. These changing fears indicate that Mr. McFarlane has the potential to develop a neurocognitive disorder generally known as early dementia. Thus, given his symptoms and condition, it is crucial to assess and address these issues, and his further potential deterioration and poor quality of life depend on receiving a timely, accurate, person-centered, recovery-oriented care plan. Appropriate Assessment Tools for Comprehensive Assessment For the assessment of Mr. McFarlane, several assessment tools are evident for his cognitive, psychological, and behavioral changes. These tools will indicate the severity and kind of loss in cognition, ruling out other psychiatric disorders and forming a basis for a personalized, holistic Illness Recovery Program. The first crucial instrument is the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), one of the most frequently applied tests for dementia in the elderly population (Arevalo-Rodriguez et al., 2021). The MMSE examines six cognition areas: the patient's orientation, memory, attention to detail, calculation ability, language, and visual-spatial skills. Since Mr. McFarlane is alleged to have memory problems, confused driving ability, and difficulties in social interactions, MMSE can be used to determine the degree of impairment and set a standard by which future progression of the condition can be measured. However, relative to other dementia severity levels, the MMSE does not appear to possess high sensitivity in MCI screening and thus may not be convincingly sensitive at the initial stages of dementia. The practitioner could use The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the MMSE to overcome this limitation. The MoCA is a better scoring system for detecting MCI and mild impairment of cognitive functions that the MMSE may not detect because this particular assessment measures additional areas of cognition, namely executive functioning, namely the areas of planning, decision-making, and problem-solving (Jia et al., 2021). It is possible to state that Mr. McFarlane has some problems with keys and forgets such things as the meetings connected with plumbing or scores – all these things also give evidence in favor of definite difficulties. The detailed description of the symptoms that MoCA provides may be helpful to a greater extent in revealing individual deficits in cognition that would require intervention. Another critical apparatus is the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), which aims to detect depression in older adults (Justo-Henriques et al., 2023). In general, Mr. McFarlane is not known to have developed any mental disease in the past; however, his recent increases in agitation, worry regarding memory impairment, and alteration of his social behavior may suggest depressive features. Depression is often co-morbid with cognitive impairment in elderly patients and may worsen the mental state of a patient. GDS is concise to complete, has an agreed/negated format, and assesses well-being; hence, it helps determine mood changes that need treatment. It is essential because otherwise unchecked depressive symptoms further exacerbate cognitive dysfunction and deteriorate the quality of life of...