Care Specific Illnesses Flashcards
Arthritis
Joints become inflamed, swollen,stiff painful
Care should focus on relieving pain, assisting with mobility and promoting independence
If pain meds taken; plan activities after meds
Heat therapy soothes joints; tub baths , warm soaks
Wear warm clothes
Exercise the affected joints
Osteoporosis
Loss of bone tissue
Musculoskeletal system conditions
Arthritis
Osteoporosis
Hip fracture
What is cognition
Thinking processes which include memory, reasoning, judgement, and language
Toes of cognitive changes
Normal age-related changes
Mild cognitive impairment
Dementia
Delirium
Forgetfulness
Happens due to gradual loss of brain cells and a decrease in the chemicals that help the brain work
Mild cognitive impairment
Impairment refers to changes in THINKING processes caused by disease or injury.
Problems with memory and thinking that are noticeable to others but do not interfere with daily living
Problems worse than age-related memory impairment
Dementia
Describes group of symptoms that occur with progressive decline in memory and thinking
Type of dementia can be discovered with brain autopsy
Types of dementia
Alzheimer’s disease
Lower body dementia
Vascular dementia
Frontotemporal dementia
Alzheimer’s disease
Dementia
Cause amyloid (protein) and tangles ( twisted protein fibers in nerve cells)
Together cause cell death and destroys brain tissue
Characteristics and info on Alzheimer’s disease
Symptoms: progressive memory loss; difficulties thinking; problem solving; and performing familiar tasks
Problems recognizing objects
Loss of language skills
Info:
Accounts for more 50%
Lasts 8-12 years
Usually after 60 ; rare early onset can happen between 30- 60 years
Lewy body dementia
Cause: abnormal protein deposits called Lewy bodies occur in the brain and throughout the gray matter covering of the brain.
Characteristics and info Lewy Body Dementia
Problems with motor, movement, memory, language and thought processes
Alternating periods from confusion and alertness and orientation
Vivid hallucinations, possible delusions or acting out dreams
Info; second most common form of dementia
Affects men more than women
Occurs between the ages of 50 and 85 years but could be earlier
Vascular dementia
Blood supply to brain is impaired due to damaged blood vessels depriving brain tissue of nutrients and oxygen
Can occur suddenly with total blockage of a blood vessel I.e. Stroke or
Overtime of gradual closing off of vessel
Characteristics and Info on Vascular Dementia
Type and severity of symptoms depend on area of the brain damaged.
Problems with memory, confusion, thinking processes and problem solving
Un steady gait
Restlessness
Urge to urinate or difficulty passing urine
Depression
Info: as common as Lewy body dementia
Rarely occurs before age 65
Has same risk factors as heart attack and stroke
( history of heart problems, strokes, mini- strokes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking
Frontotemporal dementia
Cause ; damage to the front part of the brain occurs
Characteristics and Info of Frontotemporal dementia
Language difficulties; trouble naming things and misuse of words;
Impulsive, inappropriate behavior and lack of empathy
Increased irritability, decreased judgement
Possible apathy ( loss of interest and motivation)
Memory generally spared until later in the disease
Info: accounts for 10-20% of all dementia
Lasts2-20 years with living 8 yrs average after symptoms start
Generally affects people on their 50s and 60s
Brain areas affects what
Frontal Motor Personality Emotions Problem solving Reasoning
Middle Sensory Hearing Language Speech
Back
Vision
Balance and coordination
Delirium
Cognitive change with rapid onset related to chemical changes in the body.
Usually reversible but possibility of cognitive changes being permanent even after being treated.
Quick I’d and treatment needed to reduce risks of long term effects
Causes and signs and symptoms of delirium
Common cause are medications and their side effects: dehydration, lack of sleep, pain and infections
Signs and symptoms: hallucinations
Not recognizing a familiar person
Extreme restlessness especially at night
Failing to remember things that happened recently
Wandering even though person knows her way around
Not being able to concentrate or follow instructions
Becoming lethargic and displaying little movement or activity
Care measures for final stages of dementia
Routine pain medication for pain
Laxatives to prevent constipation
Oxygen support to ease breathing
Good skin care to prevent pressure ulcers
Foods and fluids mechanically altered for ease and safety of intake ( puréed food , thickened liquids
Discontinuation of weight measurements ( wt loss is expected)
Respect of advance directives
Delirium. Is often mistaken with dementia
It is important to recognize and report sudden changes in mental status because delirium is a red flag for pending medical emergency– especially among older people
4 A,s of dementia describe the common symptoms
Amnesia- without memory
Aphasia without speech
Agnosia. Without knowing
Apraxia. Without doing
Amnesia
Short term memory Memory of recent events Childhood memories Long-term memory Memory of the past Q
Validation therapy
Accepting and responding to what the person feels to be true
Theory shows respect for persons thoughts, feeling and acknowledges what the person feel regardless of the actual truths what’s the saying is they deliver these workers to Puerto Rico young babies and
Aphasia
Expressive aphasia.
Inability to use language to express oneself,
Verbally or in writing or both
Receptive aphasia
Inability to understand communication spoken and written from others
Agnosia
Inability to use the five senses to recognize familiar things or people
Apraxia
Inability to perform steps necessary to complete a task despite having the desire and the ability to perform the task.
Adaptive clothing is available
Symptoms in Dementia
Depression
Anxiety
Hallucinations and delusions
Paranoia
Catastrophic reaction
Intense emotional and behavioral outburst over a seemingly small event
As Cna must observe the person’s behavior and the circumstances to figure out what the person is trying to tell you
What are the stages of recognition?
First. Identify the trigger( behavior)
Systematic approach to figure out what the trigger means
Once the cause of the trigger, steps to eliminate or minimize the trigger
Identifying the trigger is to focus on facts and noting them
Note Exactly what you saw What you heard Where it occurred When it occurred Who else present What activity was happening
Challenging behaviors
Wandering: walking around aimlessly
Pacing: walking back and forth
Hoarding: stashing anything and every thing , distress if anything taken
Resisting care: verbally and physically aggressive behaviors
Inappropriate sexual behavior: removing clothing; masturbating in
Public; making sexually suggestive comments or advances;
Pinching. Grabbing or touching personal body parts of others
Sun downing: increased confusion,agitation,restlessness and
Irritability in the late afternoon or evening
Identifying triggers for challenging behaviors
Cognitive issues Mental health symptoms Physical conditions Past personal history Environment Other people
Periodic breaks for caregivers
Respite
