Dementia Cogntive Communication Disorders in Adults (EXAM 2) Flashcards
What is Dementia?
an umbrella term for loss of memory and other thinking abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life
What is the most common type of Dementia?
Alzheimer’s disease
What are some of the non-modifiable risk factors for Dementia?
What % is preventable?
Age, Sex, family hx
35% of dementia is preventable
What is the strongest potentially modifiable risk of dementia?
HINT: Related to this class
Hearing loss (9%) contributes to a dx of dementia
Is the cause of Alzheimer’s disease unknown?
What factors play a role in the disease?
No, cortical pathology with unknown cause
Genetics and environmental interaction
What happens to the nerve fibers with Alzheimer’s disease?
What is present on scans or during autopsy?
What part of the brain is effects? Importance of that part of the brain?
The nerve fibers dengenerate, causing the brain atrophy
Presence of twisted neurofilaments and plaques
There is extensive damage to the hippocampus and cortex (responsible for memory)
What is the Hippocampus responsible for?
What happens to this part of the brain with Alz disease?
Its criticial to the formation of new memories
Shrinks severely
What is the brain’s cortex responsible for?
What happens to the cortex with Alz disease?
Language and information processing
Shrivels up and there’s damage to areas of thinking, planning, and remembering
What happens in the EARLIEST stages of Alz disease?
Mild dementia
Name recall difficulty, disorientation, memory loss occurs
What happens in severe stages of Alz disease?
Vocabulary and complex sentence production reduced, writing and reading errors, inability to return to and shift topic
What happens in MOST severe stages of Alz disease?
Naming errors and the use of generic words, jargon, echolalia (repeat what was said)
What is the treatment for Alz disease?
What is the GOAL of treatment?
Medications may slow disease progression, but it’s not a CURE
GOAL: maintain quality of life for as long as possible
What is the integral to quality of life?
COMMUNICATION!
What is the Role of a SLP when treating a client with Alz disease/dementia?
What does Therapy include?
Assess their speech, langauge, and thinking skills and assess their eating and swalllowing ability
Therapy includes:
practicing learning important info
Using written words or pics to help carry out tasks
Making “memory books” to help remember personal info
Counseling family and others on how to communicate better
Eating different types of foods or eating in different ways
What is the Role of an Audiologist when treating a client with Alz disease/dementia?
Assess hearing sensitivity
Screening of cognitive abilities
Fitting of hearing technology
