Neurocognitive Disorders Flashcards
(35 cards)
- extreme impairment of basic mental functions (thinking, memory, speech, consciousness)
- usually a clear biological basis
neurocognitive disorders
three groups of neurocognitive disorders
- delirium
- mild neurocognitive disorder
- major neurocognitive disorder (aka dementia)
rapid onset neurocognitive disorder, usually with short duration
impairment of attention, thinking, speech, emotions, and behavior
delirium
additional characteristics of delirium
- disoriented to time and place
- perceptual distortions (illusions/hallucinations) are common
- emotions are very labile
- impairments increase clients’ risk of self-harm
prognosis for delirium
- requires prompt medical treatment
- most clients have a full recovery
- some can experience permanent brain damage or die, esp if untreated
epidemiology of delirium
- extremely common in healthcare settings
- clients over age 65 at greatest risk
- Medical floor - 30% of older clients
- Post-surgery - 10%-50% of older clients
- ICU - rate as high as 70%
- Hospice - 42% of clients
etiology of delirium - medications
- first thing - review medications
- drug overdoses
- drug interactions
- liver/kidney dysfunction
- BEERS medications
BEERS medications
etiology of delirium - medical illnesses
etiology of delirium - intoxication/withdrawal
effective treatments of delirium
nursing interventions for delirium
progressive decline in cognitive functions; almost always permanent
dementia
additional characteristics of dementia
- most common cause of dementia; 50%-60% of cases
* associated with a build-up of beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain
Alzheimer’s disease
characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease - mild stage
- short-term memory loss and confusion
- may get lost in familiar environments
- executive function begins to fade
characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease - moderate stage
- significant difficulty with activities of daily living
- wandering
- emotional instability
- increased risk of self-injury
- begin to lose ability to recognize family & friends
- confabulation - unconsciously fill in memory gaps with imaginary events
- require close observation and frequent assistance
characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease - severe stage
- profound deficits in cognitive function
- loss of ability to eat, speak, understand language, ambulate, control elimination
- require total care
- form of dementia caused by damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain
- aka Pick’s Disease
Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia
additional characteristics of Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia (Pick’s Disease)
- significant decline in executive function and language comprehension
- damage to brain may also cause socially inappropriate speech and behavior
HIV infection (especially Type 1)
Huntington’s Disease
additional characteristics of Huntington’s Disease
jerky movements of the extremities
chorea
