Neurocognitive Disorders Flashcards
- extreme impairment of basic mental functions (thinking, memory, speech, consciousness)
- usually a clear biological basis
neurocognitive disorders
three groups of neurocognitive disorders
- delirium
- mild neurocognitive disorder
- major neurocognitive disorder (aka dementia)
rapid onset neurocognitive disorder, usually with short duration
impairment of attention, thinking, speech, emotions, and behavior
delirium
additional characteristics of delirium
- disoriented to time and place
- perceptual distortions (illusions/hallucinations) are common
- emotions are very labile
- impairments increase clients’ risk of self-harm
prognosis for delirium
- requires prompt medical treatment
- most clients have a full recovery
- some can experience permanent brain damage or die, esp if untreated
epidemiology of delirium
- extremely common in healthcare settings
- clients over age 65 at greatest risk
- Medical floor - 30% of older clients
- Post-surgery - 10%-50% of older clients
- ICU - rate as high as 70%
- Hospice - 42% of clients
etiology of delirium - medications
- first thing - review medications
- drug overdoses
- drug interactions
- liver/kidney dysfunction
- BEERS medications
BEERS medications
etiology of delirium - medical illnesses
etiology of delirium - intoxication/withdrawal
effective treatments of delirium
nursing interventions for delirium
progressive decline in cognitive functions; almost always permanent
dementia
additional characteristics of dementia
- most common cause of dementia; 50%-60% of cases
* associated with a build-up of beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain
Alzheimer’s disease
characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease - mild stage
- short-term memory loss and confusion
- may get lost in familiar environments
- executive function begins to fade
characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease - moderate stage
- significant difficulty with activities of daily living
- wandering
- emotional instability
- increased risk of self-injury
- begin to lose ability to recognize family & friends
- confabulation - unconsciously fill in memory gaps with imaginary events
- require close observation and frequent assistance
characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease - severe stage
- profound deficits in cognitive function
- loss of ability to eat, speak, understand language, ambulate, control elimination
- require total care
- form of dementia caused by damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain
- aka Pick’s Disease
Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia
additional characteristics of Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia (Pick’s Disease)
- significant decline in executive function and language comprehension
- damage to brain may also cause socially inappropriate speech and behavior
HIV infection (especially Type 1)
Huntington’s Disease
additional characteristics of Huntington’s Disease
jerky movements of the extremities
chorea
additional characteristics of Huntington’s disease
Lewy Body Dementia
additional characteristics of Lewy Body Dementia
- dementia caused by damage to the substantia nigra
* characterized by motor dysfunction
Parkinson’s Disease
additional characteristics of Parkinson’s Disease
TBI
Vascular dementia
epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease
etiology of Alzheimer’s disease
effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease
- supportive home/setting care
- respite care for caregivers
- medications:
- -anticholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil)
- -memantine
- -2nd Gen antipsychotics for psychosis/aggression
nursing interventions for dementia
