Ch 24 Cognitive Disorders Book Key Points Flashcards
Cognitive disorders involve:
disruption or impairment in the higher functions of the brain.
They include delirium and dementia or mild and major NCDs.
Delirium is:
a syndrome that involves disturbed consciousness and changes in cognition.
It is usually caused by an underlying, treatable medical condition such as physiological or metabolic imbalances, infections, nutritional deficits, medication reactions or interactions, drug intoxication, or alcohol withdrawal.
The primary goals of nursing care for clients with delirium are:
protection from injury, management of confusion, and meeting physiological and psychological needs.
Dementia is:
a disease involving memory loss and multiple cognitive deficits such as language deterioration (aphasia), motor impairment (apraxia), or inability to name or recognize objects (agnosia).
Dementia is usually progressive, beginning with:
prominent memory loss (mild stage) and confusion and loss of independent functioning (moderate), followed by total disorientation and loss of functioning (severe).
Medications used to treat dementia:
rivastigmine, galantamine, and donepezil, slow disease progression for about 6 months.
Other medications such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines help manage symptoms but do not affect the course of dementia.
A psychosocial model for providing care for people with dementia addresses needs for:
safety, structure, support, interpersonal involvement, and social interaction.
Many clients with dementia receive care:
at home rather than in institutional settings (e.g., nursing homes).
The caregiver role (often assumed by a spouse or adult child) can be physically and emotionally exhausting and stressful; this contributes to caregiver role strain. To deal with the exhausting demands of this role, family caregivers need ongoing education and support from a health care professional, such as a nurse, social worker, or case manager.
Caregivers must learn how to meet the client’s:
physiological and emotional needs and to protect him or her from injury.
Areas for teaching include monitoring the client’s health, avoiding alcohol and recreational drugs, ensuring adequate nutrition, scheduling regular checkups, getting adequate rest, promoting activity and socialization, and helping the client to maintain independence as much as possible.
The therapeutic relationship with clients with dementia is:
supportive and protective and recognizes the client’s individuality and dignity.
