Delirium, dementia Flashcards
a mental state characterized by a disturbance of cognition, which is manifested by confusion, excitement, disorientation, and a clouding of consciousness.
-Hallucinations and illusions are common.
delirium
- Rapid onset (over hours or days)
- caused secondary to another medical condition such as infection or substance abuse
- Impaired memory, judgement, ability to focus
- altered LOC** Key
- Restless, agitated, fluctuating mood
- sundowning may occur
- Reversible if treated promptly
Delirium
- Gradual deterioration
- impairments in abstract thinking, memory, judgement, speech, agnosia
- LOC is usually unchanged
- personality change is gradual
- vital signs are stable unless other illness is present
- Irreversible and progressive
- Causes incluse: Alzheimer’s disease, TBI, Parkinson’s, other disorders affection the neuro system.
Dementia
defined by a loss of previous levels of cognitive, executive, and memory function in a state of full alertness.
Dementia
Classification of dementia, such as alzheimer’s in which the dementia itself is the major sign of some organic brain disease not directly r/t any other organic illness.
primary dementia
dementia caused by or r/t another disease or condition such as HIV or cerebral trauma.
secondary dementia
No apparent symptoms
Stage 1
Forgetfulness
- The individual begins to lose things or forget names of people. Losses in short term memory are common.
- They may feel ashamed, anxious, or depressed
Stage 2
Mild cognitive decline
- There is interference with work performance, which is noticeable to others.
- Difficulty recalling names or words.
- Decline in ability to plan and organize
Stage 3
Mild-to-Moderate cognitive decline (confusion)
- depression, social withdrawal, confabulation
- May forget major events in personal hx such as child’s birthday
- declining ability to perform tasks such as shopping and managing finances
stage 4
Moderate to severe cognitive decline (Middle dementia)
- Unable to recall major life events
- Disoriented to surroundings
- Urinary and fecal incontinence are common
- sleeping is a problem
- Wandering, obsessiveness, agitation, and aggression
- Sundowning
Stage 6
Moderate cognitive decline (Early dementia)
- loss of ability to perform ADL’s
- -forget addresses, phone numbers, and names of close relatives.
- -Disoriented to person, place, or time
- Frustration, withdrawal
stage 5
This area of the brain controls hearing, speech and language
the parietal lobe
This part of the brain directs our emotional responses.
the amygdala
this part of the brain allows us to problem solve, plan ahead, understand others and restrain our impulses.
the frontal lobe
This type of dementia is caused by lack of adequate blood flow to the brain. The blood vessels are affective and progressive intellectual deterioration occurs.
- 2nd most common type of dementia
- HTN is most significant risk factor
vascular dementia
The inability to retain or recall past experiences.
-May be temp. or permanent, depending of cause.
amnesia
- inability to learn new info despite normal attention
- events from the past are recalled more easily then recent events
- different from dementia in that their is no impairment in abstract thinking or judgment, no other disturbances of higher cortical function, and no personality change.
amnesia
is the loss of memories that formed BEFORE a trauma such as brain injury
i.e- a person wandering around the street not knowing who they are.
retrograde amnesia
Loss of memory for the time AFTER an injury
anterograde amnesia
causes include head trauma, cerebrovasular disease, cerebral neoplastic disease, cerebral anoxia, herpes simplex encephalitis, poorly controlled insulin dependent diabetes and brain surgery.
amnesia
The latest stage of dementia.
- The person is chair bound or bed bound.
- May be in a coma
- Death usually occurs by infection, aspiration, or sepsis
stage 7
impaired ability to carry out motor activities
apraxia
failure to recognize or identify objects despite intact sensory function
agnosia
Herbal remedy used to help improve memory should not use of on ASA, Plavix, Warfarin, or other anticoagulates- may reduce platelet levels
Gingko Biloba
major antioxidant, slows cellular aging
vitamin E