Neurological Flashcards
1
Q
Normal changes
A
these changes can be influenced by general health status, genetics, level of education, activity, and physical & social changes.
- decreased conduction velocity
- slower response & reaction time
- decreased brain weight (doesn’t appear to affect thinking & behavior)
- reduced blood flow to the brain
- changes in sleep pattern
- slower recognition & response to stimuli associated with a decrease in new axon growth & nerve reinnervation (restoration)
- hypothalamus regulates temp less effectively
- retrieval from long-term memory can be slowed
- basic intelligence is maintained
- may display less readiness to learn & depend on previous experience to solve problems
- decrease in vigilance performance (retaining info longer than 45 mins)
- more distracted by irrelevant info and stimuli
- less able to perform complex tasks
- the circadian & homeostatic factors of sleep regulation are altered
- changes in sleep pattern
- frequent awakening is not unusual
These changes can be unnoticed because they’re often nonspecific & slowly progressing
2
Q
Crystallized intelligence
A
the knowledge accumulated over a lifetime; arises from the dominant hemisphere of the brain
3
Q
Nursing considerations
A
- altered vision & hearing
- need for more time to process new info
- stress of an interaction with a health care professional can prevent older adults from telling valuable info during assessments and prevent them from hearing the instructions
- allow time for the individual to answer
- give examples to trigger memory
- reinforce instructions by repeating and perhaps by providing written instructions
- relate new info to previously learned info
4
Q
Fluid intelligence
A
new info emanating from the nondominant hemisphere
controls emotion, retention of nonintellectual info, creative capacities, spatial perceptions & aesthetic appreciation
5
Q
personality changes
A
drastic personality changes normally do not occur
