Memory Problems - Assessment Flashcards
What are the various difference types of long term memory?
Explicit (conscious memory)
- This becomes declarative memory
=> splits into Episodic (remembering events) and Semantic (remembering facts)
Implicit (unconscious memory)
- Becomes procedural memory (e.g. driving a car)
How long can something be held in the Short term memory, vs the working memory?
Short term - can recall things from up to 30 mins previous
Working memory
holds info for up to 1 min
What are the 4 stages of memory processing?
attention
encoding
storage
retrieval
What is meant by anterograde amnesia?
difficulty in learning new material/ remembering events since the onset of the illness or injury.
What is meant by retrograde amnesia?
difficulty in remembering information prior to the onset of the illness or injury
How do patients typically describe that they are losing their memory?
- Forgetting a message
- Losing track of a conversation
- Forgetting to do things
- Inability to navigate in familiar places
- Increased misplacing of things
- Struggling to remember names
Give examples of both primary and secondary causes of dementia?
Primary
- Alzheimer’s
- Huntingtons
- Parkinson’s
- Lewy Body
- Frontotemporal
Secondary
- depression
- diabetes
- thyroid disease
- vitamin deficiency
Describe the onset duration and course of dementia to that of delirium and depression, in order to show how they can be differentiated
ONSET
dementia = slow/insidious
delirium = acute, depression = gradual
DURATION
dementia - months/years
delirium = acute => days/weeks, depression => weeks/months
COURSE
dementia - step-wise progression
delirium - fluctuates, depression - diurnal
Why should we assess cognition in dementia patients?
- identify underlying pathological processes
- aid the diagnosis process
- inform treatment
- assess capacity
- organise further care plans and power of attorney
What specific questions about day-to-day life should you ask during a dementia history taking?
- Problems in the kitchen? (burning food, forgetting recipes)
- Still use the remote control, washing machine, microwave, etc?
- Do you follow the news? What have you seen recently in the newspaper?
- Have you ever got lost or disorientated? Do you drive?
- Can you still enjoy golf/bridge/bingo?
What can be asked in an inpatient setting to work out if a patient is orientated?
What is your name?
Where do you live?
Where are you now/ How long have you been in here?
Why are you in hospital?
Do you know the date, day of the week, year and month?
How can you assess if a patient has been struggling to hold their attention at home?
Have you been able to get through a TV programme/ the newspaper?
How would you ask a patient about symptoms of loss of memory?
Are you finding that you are:
- forgetting conversations?
- repeating yourself?
- forgetting peoples names?
What points of a dementia history can you get by asking staff in the hospital?
Does patient recognise staff? Can they follow basic instructions? Can they orientate themselves round the ward? How is their personal care/ routine? Do they change throughout the day? Physical functioning? Any evidence of anxiety or low mood?
Below what cut-off score does the MMSE state is abnormal?
<24/30
