Alzheimer's Disease Flashcards

1
Q

What is the definition of cognition?

A

Mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.

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2
Q

What are the consequences of cognitive impairment?

A
  • Increased risk for injury
  • Complicates disease management
  • Decreased functional ability including capacity for independent living and normal social interaction
  • Increased need for assistive services
  • Financial hardship
  • Caregiver burden
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3
Q

What are the risk factors of cognitive impairment?

A
  • Elderly people
  • Environmental exposure
  • Congenital factors
  • Genetic conditions
  • Health-related conditions: acute or chronic
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4
Q

What are the congenital factors for cognitive impairment?

A

Maternal substance abuse

Birth injuries

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5
Q

What personal behaviors are the risk factors for cognitive impairment?

A

Substance abuse
Participation in high-risk activities
Accidental injuries

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6
Q

The type and degree of impairment depend on the type of problem and its severity. What are the types of problems?

A
  • Memory
  • Language
  • Visuospatial ability
  • Calculation
  • Abstract reasoning
  • Thought process and content
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7
Q

What are laboratory tests used for when it comes to cognitive impairment?

A

To rule out other medical problems

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8
Q

What are the two types of diagnostic tests used for identifying cognitive impairment?

A

Neuropsychometric testing

Brain imaging techniques

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9
Q

What types of brain imaging techniques could be used for diagnosing cognitive impairment?

A
  • Neuroimaging
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Positron emission tomography (PET)
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10
Q

What can the Brain Imaging Techniques detect?

A

Intracranial tumors
Infarcts (vascular dementia)
Frontotemporal lobe atrophy

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11
Q

Alzheimer’s disease is a common what?

A

Degenerative neurological disorder

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12
Q

When does Alzheimer’s usually manifest?

A

after age 65

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13
Q

Half of the population over the age of what has alzheimer’s

A

85

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14
Q

What do patients with Alzheimer’s die from?

A

Comorbidities

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15
Q

What types of demands associated with Alzheimer’s disease can be devastating?

A

Personal, economic, and societal demands.

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16
Q

What are the two basic types of Alzheimer’s Disease?

A

Familial and Sporadic

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17
Q

What progressive degenerative changes are associated with Alzheimer’s?

A

Gross atrophy of cerebral cortex

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18
Q

What is Alzheimer’s caused by?

A
  • Neurofibrillary tangles
  • Amyloid plaques
  • Loss of communication between neurons
  • Death of neurons
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19
Q

The death of neurons follows this specific pattern.

A

Limbic system to center for emotion and memory. Hippocampus to recent memory

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20
Q

Death of neurons causes what?

A

Motor changes
Loss of ability to think, remember, and reason.
Changes in behavior that interfere with life
Can exhibit delusions or hallucinations.

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21
Q

What is the gist of the etiology of Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Blood flow to affected areas decreases
  • Atrophy of cortical area of brain
  • Structural, chemical changes
  • Having the structural changes and showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s may differ
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22
Q

What are the risk factors of Alzheimer’s?

A

Over 65
Family history
Gender
Head Injury

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23
Q

The following as all associated with Alzheimer’s.

A
  • Anoxia (after cardiac arrest)
  • Infectious disease (HIV)
  • Depression
  • Poisoning
  • Substance abuse
  • Down Syndrome
  • Diabetes
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Hypertension
  • Smoking
  • Inflammation
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24
Q

What are the ways to limit your risk for Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Weight control
  • Regular exercise
  • Consume protective foods
  • Use of drugs and alcohol
  • Mentally and socially active
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25
Q

Why do you need to rule out other disease processes when you are diagnosing someone with Alzheimer’s?

A

Many manifestations of Alzheimer’s are similar to other conditions

26
Q

The rate of progression of Alzheimer’s depends on what/

A

Overall health

Type of care after diagnosis

27
Q

Cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease patients is accompanied by what else?

A

Physical decline

28
Q

What is the mnemonic for conditions that mimic Alzheimer’s?

A
D= Drug or alcohol
E= Emotional disorders
M= Metabolic or endocrine disorders
E= Eye and ear dysfunctions
N= Nutritional deficiencies
T=Tumors, trauma, or toxins
I= Infections
A= Atherosclerotic effects on heart and brain
29
Q

What is stage 1 of Alzheimer’s?

A

No impairment

30
Q

What is stage 2 of Alzheimer’s?

A

Normal aged forgetfulness

31
Q

What happens in stage 2 of Alzheimer’s ?

A

Mild cognitive decline due to aging or Alzheimer’s.

Trouble recalling names, finding correct word

32
Q

What is stage 3 of Alzheimer’s?

A

Mild Cognitive Impairment

33
Q

What happens in stage 3 of Alzheimer’s ?

A
  • Memory lapses, decreased concentration (Become evident to others)
  • Decreased task performance
  • Inability to recall recently learned information
  • Trouble with planning and organizing
34
Q

What is stage 4 of Alzheimer’s?

A

Mild or early stage Alzheimer’s

35
Q

What happens during stage 4 Alzheimer’s?

A

Symptoms of impairment more obvious

  • Allow for considerably accurate diagnosis
  • Trouble recalling recent events, personal history, day, week, month
  • Difficulty performing complex ADLs.
36
Q

What is stage 5 of Alzheimer’s?

A

Moderate Alzheimer’s

37
Q

What happens during stage 5 of Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Lose ability to live independently
  • Remote memory starts to fail, can’t remember name of high school or college
  • Inability to perform less complex activities.
38
Q

What is stage 6 of Alzheimer’s?

A

Moderately severe Alzheimer’s

39
Q

What happens during stage 6 of Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Inability to perform even basic ALDs
  • Can remember own name but not that of spouse
  • Steep cognitive declines
  • Personality changes, sundowning
  • Wander
40
Q

What is stage 7 of Alzheimer’s?

A

Severe Alzheimer’s

41
Q

What happens during stage 7 of Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Complete loss of ability to respond to surroundings
  • Require total care
  • Loss of ability to speak and walk
  • Physically rigid, abnormal reflexes
42
Q

Who is part of the multidisciplinary team to treat patients with Alzheimer’s ?

A
  • MD
  • Nurse
  • Social Worker
  • Neurologist
  • Psychiatrist
  • PT
  • OT
  • Gerentology nurse specialist
  • Case worker
  • Pharmacists
43
Q

What is the most definitive way of diagnosing Alzheimer’s?

A

Brain autopsy

44
Q

What other diagnostics can help diagnose Alzheimer’s?

A
  • History and physical including psychiatric and neurological
  • Ongoing interviews
  • Brain scans (CT and MRI)
  • PET imaging
  • Lab work up
45
Q

What are the local treatment centers for Alzheimer’s?

A

Memory Disorder Clinic and Roschamp Clinic

46
Q

What type of drugs may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s?

A

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and MNDA receptor antagonists

47
Q

What two types of behavior management drugs may help Alzheimer’s?

A

Antidepressants and antipsychotics

48
Q

What nonpharmacologic therapies can help with Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Speech therapy
  • Physical therapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Disability benefits
  • Advocacy groups such as the Alzheimer’s Association
49
Q

What complementary and alternative therapies are used for patients with Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Antioxidants
  • Resveratrol
  • Ginko biloba
  • Omega-3 fatty acids
  • Music therapy
  • Therapeutic touch
  • Aromatherapy
  • Therapy pets
50
Q

What should you focus your nursing process on in patients with Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Providing a safe and supportive environment that meets changing abilities and needs
  • Collaborate with clients family members as they cope with physical and emotional demands
51
Q

What physical assessment should be done on patients with Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Possible signs of abuse, neglect, depression, and malnutrition
  • Medications and supplements
52
Q

What mental status examination can be done as an assessment for Alzheimer’s?

A

Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE)

53
Q

What are the diagnoses for stage one and two of Alzheimer’s?

A

Impaired Memory and Chronic Confusion

54
Q

What are the diagnoses for stage three of Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Ineffective denial
  • Risk for injury
  • Anxiety
  • Hopelessness
  • Imbalanced Nutrition: Less than Body Requirements
55
Q

As Alzheimer’s Progresses what are the nursing diagnoses?

A
  • Risk for Caregiver Role strain
  • Risk for Aspiration
  • Self-Care Deficit
  • Impaired Social Interaction
  • Impaired Verbal Communication
  • Functional Urinary Incontinence
  • Impaired Physical Mobility
  • Wandering
56
Q

What should you implement with patients who have Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Promote effective coping strategies
  • Prevent injuries
  • Promote balance between rest and activity
  • Promote psychological wellness
  • Facilitate stress management for the caregivers
  • Community based care
57
Q

What things can effect the emotional environment of a patient with Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Agitation due to caregivers emotions
  • Coach caregivers to create a calm environment
  • Logic and orientation responses do not work
  • Enter into the patients world and time
  • Tell them what they need to hear to be calm
  • Play music/movies or show pictures from this time period
  • Temperature
58
Q

What are the ethical concerns associated with stage one and two Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Plan to put end of life issues in order
  • Power of attorney
  • Will
  • Surrogate decision maker
  • End of life decisions
  • Checking accounts
59
Q

What are the ethical concerns associated with stage three Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Driving
  • Living arrangements
  • Contracts
  • Major decisions
  • Advanced directives
60
Q

What are the ethical concerns associated with stage four to seven of Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Treatment options

- Aggressive diagnosis or treatment

61
Q

What should be included in the evaluation a client with Alzheimer’s?

A
  • Asses client on regular basis
  • Regularly readjust treatment for optimal outcomes
  • Client remains free from injury
  • Client’s nutritional intake meets needs
  • Client maintains medication regimen
  • Client effectively uses memory aids
  • Caregiver utilizes community resources