Dementia Flashcards
What is dementia?
A syndrome (group of symptoms that usually occur together but have no definitive cause)
Chronic or progressive in nature.
Deterioration in cognitive function
What is dementia characterised by?
Amnesia - short term memory loss
Inability to concentrate
Disorientation in time, place or person
Intellectual impairment
Difficulty planning or organising
Language
What are 5 different types of dementia?
Alzheimer’s
Vascular
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Frontotemporal
Korsakoff’s
What are some issues with treating someone with dementia?
Capacity - potential power of attorney/ welfare guardian?
Co-operation
Treatment planning - deterioration over a period of time is uncertain.
What is an added risk factor of GA with dementia patients?
Dementia can worsen when put under GA
What is the most common type of dementia?
Alzheimer’s - 60%
What is Alzheimer’s caused by?
Reduction in size of CORTEX - severe in hippocampus
PLAQUES are deposits of BETA-AMYLOID (protein fragment) - they build-up in spaces between nerve cells
What are the distinctive features of Alzheimer’s?
Aphasia - language/ speech difficulty
Communication difficulties
Mood swings
Struggle with everyday activities
Withdrawn
Loss of confidence
What are some early-stage symptoms of dementia?
STML
Confusion
Unwilling to make decisions
Anxiety, agitation or distress over perceived changes
Inability to manage everyday tasks
Communication problems
What are some mid-stage symptoms in dementia?
More support required - including dressing, eating etc.
May fail to recognise people
Distress and aggression common
Mood changes
May experience hallucinations/ vivid throwback memories
Wandering and getting lost common
What are some late-stage symptoms of dementia?
Inability to recognise familiar objects/ people/ surroundings.
Physical frailty
Difficulty eating, swallowing - weight loss
Loss of speech
Incontinence
Can be completely apathetic - uninterested in anything
Although there is no cure to dementia, what drugs may slow progression?
NSAIDS
Vitamin E
What causes vascular dementia?
Reduction of blood flow to the brain which damages and kills brain cells
Narrowing and blockage of small blood vessels deep in the brain
Strokes
What are distinctive features of vascular dementia?
SUDDEN ONSET memory problem
Anxiety
Visual spatial difficulties
Delusions
Seizures
What is dementia with lewy bodies?
Deposits of abnormal protein lewy bodies (also found in parkinson’s)
