| Course | HCA 205 Principles of Health and Disease |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 6 |
| Paper type | Neurological disease paper |
| Length | About 1,071 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Health Care Administration |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for HCA 205 Module 6
Brain and Nerves Under Strain: Stroke, Dementia, Epilepsy and Parkinson Disease
Student Name
Health Care Administration Program, Aspen University
HCA 205: Principles of Health and Disease
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Brain and Nerves Under Strain: Stroke, Dementia, Epilepsy and Parkinson Disease
The nervous system controls movement, sensation, thought and memory, so its diseases can change every part of a person's life. Neurological diseases are also some of the most demanding for families and health care systems, because many are long-lasting and progressive. This paper surveys four common neurological diseases, stroke, dementia, epilepsy and Parkinson disease, through members of one composite family.
A Composite Family
In the composite R. family, the grandmother, 81, has Alzheimer disease; the grandfather, 79, had a stroke last year; their son, 52, has had epilepsy since a head injury at 20; and a family friend who visits often, 70, has Parkinson disease. Their daughter-in-law, a medical office manager, coordinates much of their care.
Stroke
A stroke occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is cut off by a clot or a burst vessel, killing brain cells within minutes. Signs include sudden weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking and facial droop. Globally, there were 12.2 million new strokes and 6.55 million stroke deaths in 2019, and stroke remained the second-leading cause of death worldwide (GBD 2019 Stroke Collaborators, 2021). Of the risks a person can change, uncontrolled blood pressure matters most, with smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol and an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation close behind.
After a Stroke
The grandfather's stroke left weakness in his right arm and some difficulty finding words. His recovery depended on quick treatment, which he received within two hours, and on rehabilitation with physical, occupational and speech therapy. Preventing a second stroke means controlling blood pressure, taking prescribed medicines and staying active.
Dementia and Alzheimer Disease
Dementia is a decline in memory, thinking and daily function severe enough to interfere with independence. Alzheimer disease is the most common cause, followed by vascular dementia from strokes and small vessel disease. Symptoms begin with forgetting recent events and progress to confusion, personality change and dependence on others. Diagnosis relies on history, cognitive testing and ruling out other causes, sometimes with imaging or newer biomarker tests.
Can Dementia Be Prevented?
Age and genetics cannot be changed, but a major commission listed 14 changeable risk factors spanning childhood to old age: less education in early life, hearing loss, high cholesterol, depression, head injury, physical inactivity, diabetes, smoking, hypertension, obesity, excessive alcohol, social isolation, air pollution and untreated vision loss (Livingston et al., 2024). The commission concluded that addressing these factors could prevent or delay a substantial share of dementia cases.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a tendency to have repeated seizures caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Causes include genetic factors, head injuries, stroke, infections and brain tumors, though often no cause is found. In 2015, an estimated 3.4 million people in the United States, 3 million adults and 470,000 children, had active epilepsy (Zack & Kobau, 2017). Diagnosis uses the history of seizures, an electroencephalogram and brain imaging. Most people become seizure-free with medication. The son in the composite family has been seizure-free for six years on one medicine, although he must still follow state rules on driving.
Parkinson Disease
Parkinson disease results from loss of dopamine-producing cells in a part of the brain that controls movement. Symptoms include tremor at rest, stiffness, slow movement and balance problems, with later changes in mood, sleep and thinking. Diagnosis is clinical, based on examination. Medicines that replace or mimic dopamine improve symptoms, and exercise and physical therapy help maintain function. The family friend in the composite family attends a weekly exercise class designed for people with Parkinson disease, which has helped his balance.
Comparison
Side by side, the four conditions look like this.
| Condition | Underlying problem | Main diagnostic tool | Prevention or control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke | Clot or bleeding in brain | CT or MRI | Blood pressure control |
| Dementia | Alzheimer changes, vascular damage | Cognitive testing, history | Address modifiable risk factors |
| Epilepsy | Genetic, injury, stroke, often unknown | EEG, MRI | Medication, avoid head injury |
| Parkinson disease | Loss of dopamine cells | Clinical examination | Medication, exercise |
The Caregiver's Load
Neurological diseases fall heavily on families. The daughter-in-law in the composite family manages appointments, medications and insurance for three people, a common situation for family caregivers. Caregivers face stress, lost work time and their own health problems. Practices can help by coordinating appointments, providing a single contact person and connecting families with respite and support services.
What a Practice Can Do
Primary care practices can screen for memory problems during yearly wellness visits, check hearing and vision, control blood pressure to reduce stroke and dementia risk, keep seizure action plans in the record and refer to neurologists and rehabilitation. Administrators can build longer visit slots for patients with cognitive impairment and train staff to communicate with them and their caregivers.
Migraine and Other Common Complaints
Not every neurological complaint is a major disease. Migraine, a recurrent headache often with nausea and sensitivity to light, is among the most common reasons for neurological visits and is treated with medicines taken during attacks and, for frequent attacks, preventive medicines. Numbness and tingling in the hands or feet often reflect nerve damage from diabetes. Dizziness is usually due to inner ear problems. Staff should still route sudden, severe headache or new weakness to urgent evaluation, since these may signal stroke or bleeding.
Costs of Long-Term Care
Many neurological diseases require long-term support. People with advanced dementia often need help with all daily activities, and many eventually need care in a nursing facility. Stroke survivors may need months of rehabilitation. These costs fall on families, Medicaid and Medicare. Prevention of stroke and dementia risk factors therefore has large financial as well as personal value.
Communicating With Patients Who Have Cognitive Impairment
Patients with memory problems need clear, short explanations, written summaries and a caregiver included with permission. Staff should speak directly to the patient first, allow extra time and confirm understanding. Appointment reminders may need to go to both the patient and the caregiver. These adjustments help people with dementia stay engaged in their own care as long as possible.
Conclusion
Stroke, dementia, epilepsy and Parkinson disease differ in cause and course but share heavy effects on patients and families. Stroke is highly preventable through blood pressure control, dementia risk can be reduced by addressing modifiable factors, epilepsy is usually controlled with medicine and Parkinson symptoms respond to treatment and exercise. The composite family shows how these diseases cluster in households and why coordinated care matters.
References
GBD 2019 Stroke Collaborators. (2021). Global, regional, and national burden of stroke and its risk factors, 1990-2019: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Neurology, 20(10), 795-820. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00252-0
Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Liu, K. Y., Costafreda, S. G., Selbæk, G., Alladi, S., Ames, D., Banerjee, S., Burns, A., Brayne, C., Fox, N. C., Ferri, C. P., Gitlin, L. N., Howard, R., Kales, H. C., Kivimäki, M., Larson, E. B., Nakasujja, N., Rockwood, K., . . . Mukadam, N. (2024). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission. The Lancet, 404(10452), 572-628. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01296-0
Zack, M. M., & Kobau, R. (2017). National and state estimates of the numbers of adults and children with active epilepsy: United States, 2015. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 66(31), 821-825. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6631a1
Reading the HCA 205 Module 6 assignment instructions
The nervous system is one of the body systems covered in Aspen's HCA 205 catalog description, and since the module's instructions are visible only in the classroom, neurological disease was chosen for this example. Assignments on this unit usually ask about stroke and dementia at minimum and sometimes epilepsy, Parkinson disease or migraine. Check your prompt for which diseases are required. For each, cover cause, signs, diagnosis, treatment and prevention or control. Include what the disease means for families, since neurological conditions often require long-term caregiving, and name at least one modifiable risk factor wherever the evidence supports one. A family or household case works well for this unit because these diseases often cluster.
Inside the HCA 205 Module 6 example
This sample has about 1,060 words in sixteen sections and a four-row comparison table. It introduces the composite family, then covers stroke with global figures and one member's recovery. Dementia and a section on modifiable risk factors follow, then epilepsy with national estimates and Parkinson disease. The table compares cause, key test and prevention or control. The caregiver's load, what a practice can do, migraine and other common complaints, the cost of long-term care and communicating with patients who have cognitive impairment finish the body. A margin note explains why global burden figures come before the family member's story. Each family member's story is short, so the survey stays focused on the diseases themselves.
Reading the HCA 205 Module 6 grading rubric
Neurological disease papers tend to be graded on accurate descriptions, attention to prevention, evidence and awareness of the effect on families and systems. Descriptions here cover cause, signs, diagnosis and treatment for each disease in plain terms. Prevention is addressed through blood pressure control for stroke and modifiable factors for dementia. Evidence includes a global burden study, a major commission report and a national epilepsy estimate, each cited in APA form. The caregiver and long-term care sections show systems awareness. Graders often reward papers that recognize these diseases as family and community problems, not only individual ones. The table also lets graders check that each disease received the same level of coverage.
HCA 205 Module 6 help from the desk
Students often describe dementia as a single disease rather than a syndrome with several causes. Explain that Alzheimer disease is the most common cause. Another frequent gap is treating stroke only as an emergency and ignoring prevention of a second stroke. Some papers also omit caregivers entirely. Use current evidence on modifiable dementia risk. Keep urgent warning signs clear, such as sudden weakness or severe headache. For help adding prevention evidence or tightening your disease descriptions, a tutor can mark where a statistic would strengthen your draft. Mention costs and long-term care if your prompt asks about the health system.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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HCA 205 Module 6 questions, answered
What does HCA 205 Module 6 usually ask for?
Aspen's HCA 205 description surveys common diseases by body system, so a paper on neurological diseases is a typical assignment. Check your classroom prompt.
Can dementia be prevented?
Not always, but a major commission named 14 modifiable risk factors, such as hypertension, hearing loss and inactivity, whose control may prevent or delay many cases.
How is epilepsy diagnosed?
From the history of seizures, an electroencephalogram that records brain electrical activity and brain imaging.
Where can I find a free HCA 205 Module 6 sample paper?
The neurological disease paper, organized around one composite family with a comparison table and margin notes, is published above. It is the sixth HCA 205 sample.
How many people in the United States have epilepsy in HCA 205 Module 6?
A national estimate for 2015 found about 3.4 million people with active epilepsy: 3 million adults and 470,000 children.