Dementia Case Study You are the nurse working triage in the ED. This afternoon a woman brings in her. Question
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Dementia Case Study
You are the nurse working triage in the ED. This afternoon a woman brings in her father who is 72 years old. The daughter reports that over the past years he has noticed her father progressively had problems with his mental capacity. These changes have developed gradually but seem to be getting worse. At times he is alert, and at other times he seems disoriented, depressed, and tearful. He is forgetting things and doing things out of the ordinary, such as placing the milk in the cupboard and sugar in the refrigerator. This morning, he thought it was nighttime and wondered what his daughter was doing at his house. He could not pour his own coffee, and he seems to be getting more agitated. He reports he has been having memory problems for the past year and at times has difficulty remembering the name of his family members and friends. His neighbor found him down the street 2 days ago and he did not know where he was. A review of his past medical history is significant for hypercholesterolemia and coronary artery disease. He had a myocardial infarction 5 years ago. His vital signs today are all within normal limits.
What are some cognitive changes seen in a number of elderly patients?
You know that physiologic age-related changes in the elderly can influence cognitive functioning, Name and discuss one.
For each behavior listed, specify whether it is associated with delirium or dementia
Gradual and insidious onset
hallucinations or delusions
Sudden, acute onset of symptoms
The function impairment is progressive
Inability to perform ADLs
Incoherent interactions with others
Patients may demonstrate wandering behavior
Behavior disorders often worsen at night
Based on the information provided by the daughter, do you think he is showing signs of delirium or dementia?
You know that there are four main types of dementia that result in cognitive changes. List two of the types.
How can the level or degree of dementia impairment be determined?
What diagnostics tests would be used to diagnose dementia?
SCIENCE
HEALTH SCIENCE
NURSING
NUR 356
Dementia Case Study You are the nurse working triage in the ED. This afternoon a woman brings in her
