Question

You encounter a client, 32 y.o., with an early diagnosis of Huntington's Disease. What are some pressing issues and suggested services? Is an employment goal feasible or do you need to concentrate only on Independent Living needs? What about services for his family or support system?\

Answer 1

The Huntington disease is a serious neurological disorder which is seenonset between people at the ages of 30 to 40. the nav cells break down over time which lead to serious psychological physiological and medical illness leading to person being increasingly dependent on other people for stability and safety of his life. The pressing issues here is the disease progression and ability of his nervous system and physiological characteristic being altered over time which could lead to difficulty in day to day activities and also sudden onset of psychological events such as hallucinations, anxiety attacks muscle spasm, problem in coordination, etc. The suggested services in serious cases can be a care facility and if the family is willing to support then the support of a family member in long term is a feasible option. Employment gol is not feasible as the disease progression will lead to increased non coordination, psychological and physiological problems, behavioral changes and difficulty in speaking and memory loss. In such scenarioliving independently is risky option and can affect the safety of the person affected with Huntington's disease. So when the disease progression is not aggressive then a nominal employment or a job can be considered but being completely independent is stil a risky option. The services office family E and a family care option is very vital in huntington's disease as the person becomes more and more dependent on other people to support his day-to-day activities and his constant neural disintegration and loss of ability of being independent leads to the patient being in risky situations and can affect his safety increasingly. So support system through our family and family members is very important and where possible a hospice care for a professional Healthcare professional can be hired to take care of the patient in a professional manner and provide appropriate treatment for the patient.