Wek 13: Special Needs of Persons W/ Developmental & Mental Disorders, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

Flashcards covering intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, mental illness, dementia, Alzheimer's, and strategies for managing challenging behaviors.

What are some potential impacts of intellectual disability?

Problems with thinking, learning, achieving developmental milestones, lower than normal IQ, impact on ability to conduct ADLs, may require behavioral therapy

What should a nursing assistant do when caring for a resident with intellectual disabilities?

Adapt care to the resident’s developmental stage

What is cerebral palsy?

A movement disorder caused by damage to the brain during either birth or mother’s pregnancy

What should a nursing assistant do when caring for a resident with cerebral palsy?

Offer activities based on developmental and physical capabilities

What is epilepsy?

A seizure disorder

What is Parkinson's disease?

A chronic and progressive disease caused by the loss of cells that dopamine targets, decreasing motor ability

What are late symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

Inability to move purposefully, hallucinations and delusions, incontinence, dementia

What is mental illness?

A condition that affects mood, behavior, thinking, feeling, and/or expressing emotions

Name some of the types of dementia.

Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, dementias as a result of Parkinson’s disease, head trauma, alcoholism, or AIDS

What are some risk factors for dementia?

Age 65 or older, high cholesterol level, genetics, uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, smoking, alcoholism

What are some warning signs of dementia?

Memory loss of recent events, poor decision-making skills, personality changes, difficulty in following directions or conversation, problems completing normal, everyday tasks, mood swings

What are some symptoms of mild (early stage) Alzheimer’s?

Difficulty remembering names or words, problems with organizing and planning, difficulty completing challenging tasks

What are some symptoms of moderate (middle stage) Alzheimer’s?

Being easily upset or angry, use of confusing words, personality changes, disturbances in sleep pattern, increased risk for wandering, difficulty in controlling bowel and bladder, problems remembering past events, longtime friends, or family members, increased difficulty in completing daily tasks

What are some symptoms of severe (late stage) Alzheimer’s?

Difficulty in communication, decreased or no response to others or environment, no control over body movements, such as walking and eating, need for around-the-clock care

Name common signs, symptoms, and behaviors of people with dementia.

Memory loss, elopement, agitation, sundowning, mood swings, wandering, impaired communication, problems with eating and drinking, emotional upset, difficulty performing ADLs, aggression, incontinence, restlessness, sleep disturbances, inappropriate sexual behavior, difficulty swallowing, hallucinations and delusions, inability to manage food and fluid needs

How can you manage challenging resident behaviors?

Meeting unmet needs of the resident, therapeutic interventions, ways to maintain function, approach to specific behaviors, managing aggressive behaviors, identifying and managing confusion, improving mealtime, identifying and managing pain, meeting sleep needs, toileting interventions, bathing interventions

What are some safety measures for wandering and elopement?

Wander alarm systems, specialized locked units, gated courtyards or patios

How can you discourage sexual inappropriateness?

Protect residents with dementia from predatory behavior of people with sound mind, dress resident in clothing that is more difficult to remove, use distraction and activities to redirect resident

What are some ways that support person involvement can help a resident?

Improve resident’s quality of life, ease resident’s anxiety and upset, prevent or deescalate challenging behaviors

What are some warning signs of caregiver strain?

Anxiety, depression, irritability, exhaustion, anger

What forms can respite care take?

Adult day care services, home health care, limited stay in assisted-living facility or nursing home