Health 2017 Module 3: Caring for Clients with Dementia

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers definitions, demographic statistics, and key concepts related to caring for clients with dementia and understanding ageism.

Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD)

A progressive degenerative disease that destroys nerve cells gradually in the brain and causes memory and thinking to become seriously impaired.

Cognitive function

Functions of the brain involving the memory, reasoning, thinking, judgment, understanding, and behavior.

Cognitive impairment

Loss of the ability to think, remember, reason, understand, and to live independently.

Cultural competence

Ability to interact effectively with people from different cultural or socioeconomical backgrounds.

Delirium

Temporary mental disorientation that occurs suddenly.

Dementia

A group of illnesses that cause progressive loss of brain function, including cognitive and social functions.

Disorientation

An impaired ability to recall persons, place, or time, also known as mental confusion.

Primary dementia

Dementia that does not result from any other disease.

Reminiscence therapy

Revisiting past good memories and feeling of self worth.

Responsive behaviors

A term representing how actions, words, and gestures are a response expressing something important about a client's personal, social, and physical environment.

Secondary dementia

Dementia that is a result of a disease, ingestion of damaged substances, or injury.

Sundowning

A condition where the symptoms and behaviors of dementia increase at bedtime or during hours of darkness.

Validation therapy

A communication strategy that focuses on empathy and accepting the person's perception of reality.

Ageism

The attitude of society or stereotypes towards those who are aging, including making assumptions based on how old a person is perceived to be.

World Health Organization (WHO) 2050 dementia projection

The number of people living with dementia is expected to triple from $50$ million to $152$ million by the year $2050$.

Average lifespan in Canada (2018)

The average lifespan for a person in Canada was $82$ years old in $2018$, compared to $78$ years old in $1997$.

Baby boomers

The generation of people born between the years $1946$ and $1965$.

Neurocognitive disorder

A disorder associated with dementia based on the extent of a client's decline in attention, functioning, learning, memory, language, motor movement, and social functioning.

Doset box

A disposable box prepared by a pharmacist where pills are organized into sections marked with the days of the week.

Occupational therapist

A professional who can provide advice on items, such as handrails or alarms, to improve safety and help a client remain independent.