psychological impacts of dementia Flashcards
dementia
neural changes consequently alter how people think and behave and their ability to manage everyday life
what neuronal structures does dementia affect?
the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe and occipital lobe can all be affected, this results in the decline of various cognitive functions
what 3 features does dementias neural structures ?
1.executive function:ability to plan, organise and complete tasks.
2.vision
3.affect:refers to human emotion.
4.behaviour
what can damage in frontal lobe for dementia patient lead to?
refers to human emotion.
what brain region is impacted in alzehimers disease and the temporal lobes
memory processing, hearing and language
memory decline
what is the right side of the pariteal lobe involved in?
visuospatial processing; understanding the one’s body and objects in space
what do severe difficulties with visual perception lead to?
visual hallucinations
modifiable risk factors
physical inactivity, drug use, alcohol consumption, BMI, (management of) Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, depression, smoking
Non-modifiable risk factors
age, ethnicity, sex, individual genetics and limited educational opportunity early in life.
what 2 functions does the parietal lobe impact?
1.skilled movements
2. dexterity decline.
Individualised assessment
help understand the likely course of a particular patient’s dementia, the extent it could affect their daily life and can tell us what type of care they may need.
psychiatrist or psychologist
Mental health and cognitive function professionals who have experience of treating dementia
geriatrician
doctor specialising in elderly care (a geriatrician)
Counselling
-apparent symptoms of dementia can confer a psychological burden on the sufferer
-individual and family need to understand
the nature, purpose and possible outcomes of the assessment if they are to make an informed decision about whether to proceed.
neurologist
doctor specialising in the brain and nervous system
neuropsychological assessment
asking the person, where possible, to complete a set of tasks that evaluate aspects of mental ability in order to identify the pattern of strengths and difficulties
Montreal cognitive assessment
psychometric test
-ability to assess several cognitive domains
what does MoCA assess?
1.Short term memory
2.Visuospatial abilities
3.Executive functions
4.Attention, concentration and working memory
5.Language
6.Orientation to time and place
who can administer a MoCA assess?
Nurses
Speech-Language Pathologists
Occupational Therapists
Neurologists
Psychologists (Clinical or Health Psychologists)
Geriatricians
Family Practice Physicians
Geriatric Psychiatrist
Mini mental state examination (MMSE)
another psychometric tool that has 30 items to test different cognitive functions
what are advantages of the MMSE?
1.Relatively quick and easy to administer
2.Requires no additional equipment (other than a print out of the questionnaires)
3.Can provide a method of monitoring deterioration over time
what are disadvantages of the MMSE?
1.Biased against people with poor/no education due to elements of language and mathematical testing
2.Biased against people who have a low (or no) ability to read, write or speak in English
3.Biased against people with visual impairments
4.Limited examination of visuospatial cognitive ability
Low sensitivity at detecting mild/early dementia
why would there be inequalities in assessments?
1.cultural perceptions of dementia; lack of knowledge about the available support among ethnic minority populations or even lack of trust in healthcare professionals.
Lucid intervals
where these individuals may suddenly seem more aware of themselves, their surroundings and are able to express and communicate themselves as they used to do
