Nursing: Unit 6: Chapter 42: Confusion and Dementia

Cognitive Function

Involves memory, thinking, reasoning, ability to understand, judgement, and behavior

Confusion

A state of being disoriented to person, time, place, situation, or identity

Delirium

A state of sudden severe confusion and rapid changes in brain function. It’s usually temporary and reversible, and can occur with physical or mental illness. Onset is usually fast. It’s an emergency, cause must be found and treated

Delusion

A false belief

Dementia

The loss of cognitive function that interferes with daily life and activities. This is a group of symptoms, not a specific disease. This is caused by damage to brain cells; some conditions can be reversed if the cause is treated, while permanent dementias result from changes in the brain.

Elopment

When a patient or resident leaves the agency without staff knowing

Hallucination

Seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, or tasting something that’s not real

Paranoia

A disorder of the mind; false beliefs and suspicion about a person or situation

Sundowning

Signs, symptoms, and behaviors of dementia increase during hours of darkness

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)

Most common type of permanent dementia. Many brain cells are destroyed and die. Connections between nerve cells are lost. Two abnormal structures appear—-plaques and tangles—-their development is severe.

Plaques

Protein pieces that build up in the spaces between nerve cells

Tangles

Twisted protein fibers that build up inside cells

Short term

The most common early symptom of AD is the loss of _____ memory

Mild

Stage in AD where memory loss occurs, bad judgment and decisions are made, taking longer to do tasks, misplacing items in odd places, anxiety or aggression.

Moderate

Stage in AD where there is increased memory loss, can’t learn new things, problems with language, trouble thinking logically, wandering, hallucinations, repetitive movements. This is the longest stage lasting 2-10 years

Severe

Stage in AD where the person depends others for care, in bed most of the time, can’t communicate, difficulty swallowing, increased sleep, loss of bowel and bladder control.

Code silver

A code called when there is an older person with dementia who is missing.

Validation therapy

This is a way to communicate with persons with dementia. This type of communication accepts the person’s reality even if it’s not really true.

Reality Orientation

Measures taken to encourage recognition of person, place, & time/situation

Reminiscence therapy

Activities that encourage the person to recall and share memories (Ex. watching TV shows from their younger years

Perseveration phenomena

Repetitions of acts

Catastrophic Reaction

Response to any overwhelming stimuli may cause delusions or hallucinations

Cholinesterase

_______ inhibitors are used to slow the progression of symptoms in victims of AD

Aricept

A common drug used to treat AD