Dementia PP Flashcards
What is dementia?
An acquired brain disorder that is associated with the deterioration of intellectual, communicative, and behavioral functions.
What are details associated with dementia?
It is sustained over a period of months or years; it’s progressive and irreversible in most cases.
What is dementia often associated with?
Often associated with neurological diseases
What component of language does dementia affect ?
Content (semantics/naming) more than form.
What does dementia affect?
Recent memory, language (in any form, especially content), visuospatial function, and executive functions.
What percentage of new admissions of long term care facilities are diagnosed with dementia?
As many as 48%
What are the 6 types of dementia?
Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
What is the 2nd most common type of dementia?
Vascular dementia
What is vascular dementia caused by?
Brain damage from impaired blood flow to the brain or from other conditions that damage blood vessels and reduce circulation
How can one develop vascular dementia?
After one has had multiple small strokes
What health history may people with dementia have?
History of heart attacks, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or other factors for heart diseases
What causes Parkinson’s disease?
Abnormal protein deposits called “Lewy bodies” form in the brain’s nerve cells, mainly in a part of the brain that controls movement.
What are the signs/symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?
Tremors, stiffness, shuffled gait, lack of facial expression, impaired speech, problems with balance.
Which type of dementia is relatively rare?
Frontotemporal dementia
What are features of frontotemporal dementia?
Progresses more quickly that other types, tends to happen at younger ages, affect frontal and temporal lobes, no specific brain abnormality.
What are signs that one may have frontotemporal dementia?
Changes in personality, judgement, planning and social skills; may make rude comments or make unwise decisions about important matters.
What are details associated with Huntington’s disease?
Fatal and genetic; age and progression vary, anyone with a parent that had the dz has a 50% chance of getting it; if you get it then you will get the disorder.
What are the signs and symptoms of Huntington’s disease?
Twitches, spasms, involuntary movement, hard to balance and coordinate, personality changes, hard to memorize, hard to focus, hard to make decisions
What causes Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome?
Thiamine (B-1) deficiency which comes from alcoholism
What are the details associated with Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome?
Two stage disorder: 1st stage is Wernicke Encephalopathy and is acute. 2nd stage is long-lasting and chronic, known as Korsakoff psychosis.
What are symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease?
Confusion, hard to express and organize thoughts. Misplacing things, getting lost, changes in personality and behavior.
What is the most common type of dementia?
Alzheimer’s diseases
What may be the causes of Alzheimer’s disease?
Genetic and environmental factors (head trauma, poor health, diabetes)
What happens as Alzheimer’s diseases progresses?
Language worsens, unable to shift topics, errors in writing and reading, non-specific language (this/that/there)
What is the goal of therapy for one with Alzheimer’s?
To maximize the pt’s level of performance potential and maximize the pts and family’s quality of interactions; it’s NOT to restore function.
What does Alzheimer’s Disease cause?
damage to neurons, nerve fibers die and leads to atrophy; atrophy decreases the weight of the brain especially at the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and parietal lobe,
