Key question: Dementia Flashcards
What is the cognitive key question?
How can psychologists understanding of memory help patients with dementia.
Why is dementia and issue?
-Effects 850,000 people in the UK and 1 in 6 people over 80 have dementia.
-Has no current treatment.
-WE can use our knowledge to improve their quality of life.
-Many patients are treated by the NHS which costs a lot of money.
What is dementia?
-A problem with processing info and memory.
-Causes a decline in a persons ability to think, understand and remember.
-Effects a persons function.
-All types are progressive.
What are 3 symptoms of early stage alzhimers?
-Forgetfulness.
-Trouble multi-tasking
-Personality changes
What are 3 symptoms of middle stage dementia?
-Disorientation.
-Wandering.
-Alters in sleeping and appetite.
What are 3 symptoms of late stage dementia?
no short term memory, loss of speech and forgetting family members.
What are some variations of dementia?
-Alzheimer’s.
-Vascular dementia.
-Lewy body dementia.
What are the 4 A’s of Alzheimer’s and what do they mean?
-Agnosia- inability to recognise or interpret visual information.
-Anomia- inability to find the right word, name or express and idea.
-Aphasia- difficulty understanding or expressing and following instruction.
-Apraxia- difficulty translating thoughts to actions.
On a brain scan what does dementia do to the brain?
-Brain becomes smaller.
-Neurons and pathways are destroyed.
-plaques build up between the nerves.
-Dead and dying cells stay in the brain.
How does the multi-store model explain demetia?
-Short term memory is effected by dementia.
-Info is forgotten as it is not encoded into the STM.
-Retrieval is effected so more likely to forget.
How can the multi-store model explanation say we can help dementia patients.
-Using pictures and colour (visual things) so it can be encoded in the STM.
-Use specific questions to help.
-Write things down to help LTM.
How can the working memory model explain demetia?
-Central executive is not working and is damaged over time.
-Explains why patients have issues with attention and multi-tasking.
How does the working model explanation help us treat dementia patients?
-Only give them one task at a time to focus attention and avoid multi tasking.
How does schema theory help explain dementia?
-Schemas can be mixed up and cause confusion so they are less able to make sense of a situation.
How does schema theory say we can help dementia patients?
-Ask simple, direct questions so they are not confused.
-Follow along with their train of thought to not confuse them more.