Dementia Flashcards
What is chronological age?
- How many years old you are
What is biological age?
- How young you feel and how young you act
Give common things older people can struggle with? (3)
- Mobility
- Dexterity
- Communication
Give examples of mobility issues older people may struggle with? (2)
- Stairs
- Getting to the shops
Give examples of dexterity issues older people may struggle with? (2)
- Making a cup of tea
- Brushing teeth
Give example of communication issues that older people may struggle with? (2)
- Sight and hearing -> isolation
Give examples of medical conditions that older people may be more likely to suffer from? (8)
- Musculoskeletal
- Diabetes, hormonal dysfunction
- Cognitive impairment
- Visual conditions
- Hearing conditions
- Cardiovascular conditions
- GI condition
- Malignancy
Give examples of musculoskeletal conditions that older people may suffer from? (4)
- Arthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Gout
- Fractures
Give examples of thing that older people value? (4)
- Company and relationships
- Time
- A desire to contribute to society
- Someone listening
What is dementia?
- It is a syndrome - usually of a chronic or progressive nature
- Deterioration in cognitive function (i.e. the ability to process thought) beyond what might be expected from normal aging
What does dementiak affect? (8)
- Memory
- Thinking
- Orientation
- Comprehension
- Calculation
- Learning capacity
- Language
- Judgement
What is cognitive function?
- It is our ability to process thoughts and learn new information
- It is our speech and our memory
Give a definition for dementia?
- Dementia is an acquired progressive loss of cognitive functions, intellectual and social abilities
- It is severe enough to interfewre with daily functioning
What is dementia characterised by? (4)
- Amnesia (especially for recent events)
- Inability to concentrate
- Disorientation in time, place or person
- Intellectual impairment
How many people over 65 will die with some form of dementia?
- 1 in 3
People with dementia will often have problems with day-to-day memory. How might this cause difficulty?
- Difficulty recalling events that happened recently
People with dementia will often have problems with concentrating, planning or organising. How might this cause difficulty?
- Difficulties making decisions, solving problems or carrying out a sequence of tasks (e.g. cooking a meal)
People with dementia will often have problems with language. How might this cause difficulty?
- Difficulties following a concersation or finding the right word for something
People with dementia will often have problems with visuospacial skills. How might this cause difficulty?
- Problems judging distances (e.g. on stairs) and seeing objects in three dimensions
People with dementia will often have problems with orientation. How might this cause difficulty?
- Losing track of the day or date, or becoming confused about where they are