Older adults and Alzheimer's Flashcards
1
Q
What is Alzheimer’s?
A
progressive, irreversible, degenerative neurologic disease
- causes loss of cognitive function and behavior changes
2
Q
Alzheimer Risk Factors
A
- age
- dietary/inflammatory (⬆️cholesterol, infection, ⬆️BP)
- major head injury
- family history
3
Q
Pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s
A
- neuronal damage creates neurofibrillary tangles and plaques in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus
- combined with ventricular enlargement, brain atrophy occurs
- decrease in acetylcholine is mainly affected
4
Q
How is memory affected?
Alzheimer’s
A
- forgetfulness and short term memory loss advancing to long term memory loss
5
Q
ADL effects?
Alzheimer’s
A
- poor judgement with ADLs advancing to total care with difficulty swallowing and incontinence
6
Q
Personality effects?
Alzheimer’s
A
- depression and irritability advancing to paranoid delusions, hostility and aggression
- impulsive behavior
7
Q
Orientation effects?
Alzheimer’s
A
- becomes lost in familiar places advancing to disorientation of place, person, time
8
Q
Diagnostic Findings
Alzheimer’s
A
- accurate diagnosis happens only after death (autopsy will show plaques and tangles)
- current diagnosis is done by excluding other diseases that have the same s/s of alzheimer’s
- ongoing research about using MRI to show enlargement of ventricles
9
Q
Medical Management
Alzheimer’s
A
- Cholinesterase inhibtors (Donepezil, Rivastigmine)
- NMDA receptor antagonist (Memantine)
- Behavioral and psychosocial therapy
- research on drugs targeting tau proteins and B-amyloid plaques
NO CURE, only slow progression
10
Q
Nursing Management
Alzheimer’s
A
- promote indepence
- reduce anxiety and agitation
- promote socialization
- support cognitive function
- promote nutrition
11
Q
Depression in older adults
A
- most common mood disorder
- risk of suicide increases
- fatigue, diminshed memory, sleep disturbances, appetite disturbances
12
Q
Delirium
A
- occurs second to causes such as physical illness, meds, dehydration, malnutrition, sensory disturbance
- medical emergency
- agitation, confusion, delusions, disorientation
13
Q
Vascular Dementia
A
- second most common cause of dementia
- uneven downward decline in mental function
- only one part of brain may be affected (ex: word retrieval)
14
Q
Vascular dementia risk factors
A
- htn
- cvd
- hypercholesterolemia
- smoking
- diabetes
15
Q
impaired mobility
A
- parkinson’s
- strokes
- diabetic neuropathy
- osteoporosis
- arthritis
- avoid bedrest
