Interventions

Education

The first intervention is education. Educating a person on the dangers, symptoms, or family history of Alzheimer's would make them aware of the disease. If they start to know more about the disease, they could go in and get screened or tested if they feel the need. The best way to educate someone is the Health Belief Model.

Health Belief Model

Public Health 101: Improving Community Health defines The Health Belief Model, "an intrapersonal theory, as it focuses on individuals' characteristics, including their perceptions and thought processes prior to taking health-related action," (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019). The Health Belief Model has seven levels: Perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, Perceived Benefits, Perceived barriers, Modifying variables, Cues to action, and Self-efficacy.

Perceived susceptibility: an individual's opinion of getting a condition. Example: "Alzheimer's only happens to old people."
Perceived severity: An individual's opinion of how serious a condition is and its consequences. Example: "Alzheimer's is a problem that is impossible to come back from."
Perceived Benefits: An individual's belief in the advised action to reduce the risk and/ or severity of the condition. Example: "If I catch Alzheimer's earlier I can prepare for it better."
Perceived barriers: An individual's belief about the costs of the advised action. Example: "If I got screened I do not know if I would like the results."
Modifying variables: Individual characteristics that influence personal perceptions. Example: "I've never met someone with Alzheimer's so why concern myself with it?
Cues to action: Strategies/events that encourage "readiness" to act. Example: "My mother just got diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I should get screened or tested."
Self-efficacy: Belief in one's ability to take action. Example: "if I am diagnosed with Alzheimer's I can use mental tasks to manage it." (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019)

There was a study to show how the Health Belief Model can educate someone. Development and validation of the Alzheimer's prevention beliefs measure in a multi-ethnic cohort-a behavioral theory approach used the Health Belief Model on a group of people to test and see what their willingness would be after they subjected them with questions about the seven levels of the Health Belief Model on a scale of five; one being the lowest and five being the highest.

The article went on to say, "The measure, as a whole, as well as the individual scales..., were found to be internally consistent. In addition, the data demonstrated additional, more specific aspects of general health beliefs. Overall, as the Benefits and Barriers scores increased, the Willingness score also increased," (Seifan et al., 2017).

This study shows that after being asked questions about the Health Belief Model individuals were more willing to go get screened or seek out preventive measures against Alzheimer's Disease.

Screenings

Alzheimer's disease can be detected in advance through several methods of screenings, such as cognitive assessments and magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) or computed tomography (CTs). These tests allow physicians to identify any signs of the disease and/or investigate any symptoms. Someone that has a family history of the disease or is experiencing any of the 10 warning signs should be screened (Alzheimer's Association, 2021). Screening for Alzheimer's can be beneficial for early treatment and support, and so plans for quality of life can be implemented.

Mental and Physical Exercise and Diet

A tertiary intervention for Alzheimer's disease is to improve one's diet in conjunction with mental and physical exercise. Engaging in mental and physical activities such as reading, writing, mind games, and puzzles can help improve ones brain health. Eating a healthier diet such, as following the Mediterranean diet, may also benefit an individual's brain health. Engaging in these activities enhances brain function by encouraging brain cells to interact with one another, which helps to avoid and prevent age-related decline (Robinson, 2020). These methods may not prevent Alzheimer's disease, but they may help postpone the onset of symptoms and keep the mind functioning better for a longer period of time.

Diffusion of Innovation

As described in the Public Health 101: Improving Community Health, this method focuses on the population level rather than just one person. This theory is typically viewed as a change theory. This theory guides to change aspects within a social system. The diffusion of innovation theory focuses on how a new idea, product, or social practice is disseminated and adopted in a population group.(Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019). There are five stages of this model, knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation.

The below examples deal with a nursing home that has some residents with Alzheimer's Disease.

Knowledge- before a community adopts they must be aware that the innovation exists. Example: The nursing home knows that mind games can help Alzheimer's patients keep their mind fresh.
Persuasion-People develop an opinion about the innovation, can be positive or negative. Example: The nursing home residents will either enjoy or hate the new mind games.
Decision-People decide to either adopt or reject an innovation. Example: Some residents decide to keep the new games.

Implementation: An innovation is tried Example: More nursing homes start putting more mind exercises in Alzheimer filled nursing homes.
Confirmation: Support is sought for the decision, so that there is continued adoption, continued rejection, later adoption, or discontinuance of the innovation. Example: Residents learn to do these new exercises and games, making a habit out of it.