Reflection on Cognitive Impairments

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        In order to learn more about cognitive impairments, I decided to read the article "A Typical Day with Mild Cognitive Impairment", an article published in the National Library of Medicine. I choose to read this source because I felt that this source could give me insight on what it would actually be like to live with a mild cognitive impairment. I wanted to be able to understand how a person with a cognitive impairment may feel. I wanted to learn what challenges them and what makes them uncomfortable or uneasy due to their condition. You can learn about the science behind cognitive impairments and symptoms associated with the conditions all day, but what you don't learn is how it makes the person feel with the condition. This source definitely gave me insight on what it would be like to have a mild cognitive impairment. I feel that the knowledge I gained from this source will allow me to be able to emphasize with future clients with cognitive impairments. 

    This source talked about a patient named Bob who has a mild cognitive impairment. He finally got diagnosed with this after expressing concern that he couldn't remember things as well as he used to. Memory loss is a symptom of mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment is characterized by measurable deficits in cognition. The article discusses Bob's experience in participating in a 2015 photo-elicitation project. With this project, Bob was given a camera and was asked to photograph images of a "typical day" living with mild cognitive impairment. Many people who participated in the project described difficulty balancing independence and reliance on caregivers. While some tasks are fairly easy to do independently, many participants expressed a need for assistance in social situations such as going to medical appointments. Caregivers are needed in these situations to translate the provider's instructions. Bob also talked about how going to a party is difficult because the room is filled with people who he is supposed to know. With his mild cognitive impairment, he can not remember people's names and information about them which makes him feel awkward. The article highlights that social challenges like this can contribute to stigma, shame, and social isolation. 

    I definitely recommend this article for others as part of their learning process. This article allows readers to see what it is like living with mild cognitive impairment. It allows people to see beyond the facts of the condition and see into aspects of the condition that can only be learned from people with mild cognitive impairment. This article provides patient narratives that can help healthcare workers treat future clients and can help with planning future client's futures. It gives accurate information to what someone may experience when having mild cognitive impairments. 


Here is the link to read the article which I highly encourage!  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5425906/



Reference 

Hailu, T., Cannuscio, C. C., Dupuis, R., & Karlawish, J. (2017). A Typical Day With Mild Cognitive Impairment. American journal of public health, 107(6), 927–928. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303752

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