A cognitive impairment means there is a change in how a person thinks, reacts to emotions, or behaves.
What is going on in the body?
A person can be born with a cognitive impairment. In this case, it is usually termed mental retardation. It may result from a birth injury, such as a lack of oxygen. It may also result from a defect as the baby was formed. A cognitive impairment also may occur later in life, following an injury or as part of a disease.
What are the signs and symptoms of the condition?
A cognitive impairment interferes with the body's normal function. The change may be minor and have little or no impact on a person's daily functioning. In other cases, the impairment may be obvious. A cognitive impairment can range from mild memory problems to exaggerated emotional reactions. It can also entail the complete inability to think independently.
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
A cognitive impairment may be present when a child is born, which is known as mental retardation. It may also be the result of: · abuse of prescription medicines, chemicals, street drugs, or alcohol · a disease, such as Alzheimer disease · a side effect of some medicines · a trauma such as head injury
Frail, elderly people who are removed from a familiar setting often develop cognitive problems. This may occur when they go to a hospital because of illness or when they are moved to a nursing home. Depending on the cause, cognitive impairments may be temporary or permanent.
What can be done to prevent the condition?
Cognitive impairment can occur at any age and cannot always be prevented. However, the following measures may be helpful: · avoiding illegal drugs · drinking alcohol in moderation or not at all · following sports safety guidelines for children, adolescents, and adults · obtaining prenatal care during pregnancy · using medicines only as directed
How is the condition diagnosed?
In some cases, mental retardation can be diagnosed at birth. An infant with Down syndrome, for example, is often identified by characteristic features. The diagnosis is confirmed with a chromosome analysis.
Other tests used to diagnose cognitive impairments include: · cognitive testing, which provides information about the individual's memory and thinking skills · cranial CT scan · cranial MRI · spinal tap
What are the long-term effects of the condition?
A person with cognitive impairment can often live a nearly normal life.
Dementia is a long-term condition that normally affects people aged 65 and over, younger people can be affected. Having dementia can cause loss of key functions to the brain, such as; loss of memory; confusion; speech and language problems; loss of ability to make judgements; loss of concentration; difficulty in processing information; changes in behaviour and personality. These all lead to a person not been able to function properly. The person’s ability to function deteriorates over a period of time and is usually at least 6 months before positive diagnosis of dementia can be made. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases such as Alzheimer’s which is the most common of dementia, vascular which is a series of mini strokes,
Cognitive decline is how you you called the process getting worse over time. At the last stage the person is no longer able to communicate and they depend entirely on others. What causes alzheimer’s disease is not really known but it appears that it
“…a group of symptoms that are caused by changes in brain function. Dementia symptoms may include asking the same questions repeatedly; becoming lost in familiar places; being unable to follow directions; getting disoriented about time, people, and places; and neglecting personal safety, hygiene, and nutrition. People with dementia lose their abilities at different rates.”
Impairment: Any loss or abnormality of, psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function. (WHO, 1980: 27)
...hed and streamlined to allow for earlier diagnosis. In the case of tertiary prevention, the pharmaceutical companies have a huge financial incentive to create a cure for Alzheimer’s but that is not enough. More government funded research should be dedicated towards finding methods to delay or cure Alzheimer’s disease. The baby boomer generation has already entered their 60’s. As people live longer, as a result of new treatments for common killers such as heart disease and cancer, the chances that they will succumb to Alzheimer’s increases. Failing to find preventative or curative measures will be costly. On a personal level, Alzheimer’s disease slowly attacks cognitive function-the higher thought processes; individuals degenerate into infantile dependents. The cost of caring for increasing numbers of such dependents will be a burden on both family and society.
Cognitive Impairment: A decrease in cognitive abilities, being able to comprehend thoughts and acquire knowledge
People who suffer from Dementia lose their ability to do a daily task. They are unable to do shopping, prepare meals, deal with bills and money. They can forget to lock the door, turn off the cooker or water. They may have difficulties with their mobility and coordination. Person who has a disability experiences this same problem.
This condition is preceded by a decline in the baseline performance that is thought to be abnormal for the person’s age and abilities. Mild cognitive impairment is characterised by beginning of changes in memory as well as performance of daily. Severe cognitive impairment is compounded with the more serious loss of performance of the mental processes, resulting in that a person cannot live on their own (Fann et al, 2005). The health, social and economic impacts of cognitive impairments are clear to many health care providers. However, there has not been enough national attention given to this health concern.
Doctors need a sure way to diagnose the disease before treatment or studies can be done. The diagnosis is an autopsy of brain tissue examined under a microscope. In addition, medical history, a physical exam, and mental status tests are used for diagnosis (Posen, 1995). Often, tests are done to rule out other potential causes of the dementia. This allows the identification of other causes of thinking and behavioral changes to be made before concluding that the patient has Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. The tests that are requested to be done include CT and MRI scans to rule out strokes or brain tumors which could account for change in memory and behavior; thyroid and psychological tests which can also detect thinking and behavior problems (Posen, 1995).
Understanding how the brain processes and stores memories has important implication. Dementia is a liberal term that refers to the decline and impairment of speech communication, abstract thought, memory and other cognitive functions. This cognitive disruption occurs to such an extent that they interfere with daily activities Dementia is not a disease itself. Instead, it depicts it describes a group of symptoms that frequently accompanies a disease or a condition. Although, it might initially seem disturbing to consider that half of the adult population will experience the symptoms of a mental disorder. Psychological symptoms without becoming completely debilitated and needing professional intervention most people clearly seem to manage
(http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_dementias_types.htm) As people get older, it’s not all that uncommon to experience some changes in memory such as memory loss. However, there is a big difference in having normal changes in memory and having symptoms of Dementia. Typical aging changes in memory include things like not being able to find the right word when having a conversation and complaining about memory loss but still being able to give detailed examples of things that are being forgotten. A few more signs of typical aging are stopping to remember directions but not getting lost in a familiar place, being able to remember recent events that are important and the conversation isn’t affected, and having the same level of interpersonal social skills that have always been present. On the other hand, there are more extreme cases of memory loss that are symptoms of Dementia. These include things like complaining about memory loss only when asked about it and not remem...
In Conclusion, Dementia is the progressive loss of cognitive function. People who suffer from this group of symptoms deal with memory loss, disorientation, and fluctuating feelings. The brain of a person who suffers from Dementia is different in many ways from a healthy brain. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease take a toll on the brain causing shrinkage and tissue loss that accounts for the loss of brain function in some parts. Dementia has been separated into 5 stages from No Impairment to Severe Impairment as Dementia progresses the affected person become very dependent on someone’s help. As of now there is no known treatment for Dementia but there are research studies being preformed to help find one. Dementia is not just forgetting something sometimes; it is a lot more serious and dangerous and should be taken seriously if ever around it.
Santacruz, K. S., and Swagerty, D. “Early Diagnosis of Dementia.” American Family Physician. February 2001: 63-4. Health Source. EBSCOhost. Utica College Lib.
Contrary to common belief, Dementia is not a disease, it is a term that encompasses a collection of symptoms. These symptoms are associated with numerous diseases that involve the impairment of cognitive functions (DoH, 2013).
A myth about Alzheimer disease says that nothing can be done about the disease. This is not true. Much can be done to assist the person with Alzheimer’s disease to maintain the highest possible level of functioning as long as possible and in providing the highest quality of life.