1.) What are antipsychotic drugs and why are they used on Dementia patients?
Antipsychotic drugs are used to control psychotic disorders. Individuals that have psychotic disorders such as, bipolar (manic depression) and schizophrenia use this medication frequently. Furthermore, antipsychotic drugs can help with severe anxiety and depression. Antipsychotic medication control hallucinations, delusions, insomnia, anxiety, and agitation in patients. There are many people with dementia whom are also prescribed antipsychotic drugs. These medications are also used to control and manage agitated dementia patients. Some antipsychotic medications that are given to people with dementia are risperidone, trazodone, and loxapein.
It is still uncertain exactly
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The video touched on several non-pharmacutical ideas. One great idea is at a nursing facility located in Minnesota that has a pilot project going on. This project is called, “awakening.” In the beginning of the project, the elderly individuals with dementia whom were living at the Minnesota facility, had their antipsychotic medications gradually reduced. Then the dementia patients completely stopped taking the antipsychotic drugs. In addition to the stopping of the antipsychotic medication, the staff focused on providing more one on one care to the folks with dementia. Furthermore, three days a week, the residents take part in three activities for that day. The staff also had a change in how they take care of the residents. They focus on the resident behaviors. For example, if there is a difficult and agitated resident, the staff will look at the behavior that the resident is expressing. If the resident is expressing agitation, the staff members will investigate why the resident is having that particular behavior. The staff may find out the resident is hungry, thirsty, or in pain. Then, the staff can quickly give the resident what they need. As a result, many of the residents whom were difficult to manage, are not so difficult at all. They just could not express what they …show more content…
One nursing facility has a sensory room. In this room, the residents can go to calm down and relax. The room is darkened and has a few bubbling water features with colorful lights. The residents also have the ability to express themselves with music in this sensory room. On the wall, is a display in which they can take the mallet and touch certain items that make a sound. Therefore, the residents can make music. This room assists the residents to relax and calm down without the need of antipsychotic
What is Alzheimer ? Is Alzheimer 's more difficult for the patient or for the patient’s siblings?
I am going to discuss a case of Mrs. Judi Sharman who is 74-years-old widower suffering from severe stage of dementia and has been an aged care home resident for the past two years. At the time of admission into residential care, she was suffering from moderate stage of dementia but now her behavior and psychological symptoms got worsened from past six months. She has been becoming more agitated in evening with sun downing and is physically aggressive at some times and her mood disturbances become problem for other residents and staff members as she starts sudden shouting and disturbs others. She is also experiencing some hallucinations and delusions that represent psychotic illness .Now I will discuss the identification, assessment and management of these symptoms by using current literature.
Dementia is common among a large population of elderly people. The disease affects not only the individual diagnosed, but also the caregivers that work towards making their life comfortable in the end. Understanding and learning about the disease is crucial in helping those that experience or live with someone who has dementia. The services and support that are currently in affect for elderly people with dementia and the caregivers is poor, and ineffective because of the lack of research and information on the topic.
Three million people over the age of 65 are diagnosed with the irreversible condition known as dementia, a disorder of the brain that will cause memory loss and difficulty with communicating. Many people mistake dementia as an illness, but it really is a set of symptoms that cause impaired thinking and memory. How can we better understand dementia in order to give the best care towards dementia patients? Spreading awareness of this disease is important so that people can catch the symptoms early enough to protect the health of Canadian older adults so that they can maximize their quality of life. It is also an important issue in nursing practice because nurses need to be aware of the proper care needed to be given to dementia patients as it
The participation in leisure activities, such as dance, is related with a reduced risk of development of dementia, both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (Verghese et al., 2003). Dementia is “a general term that describes a group of symptoms-such as loss of memory, judgment, language, complex motor skills, and other intellectual function-caused by the permanent damage or death of the brain's nerve cells, or neurons” (Alzheimer’s Foundation of America [AFA], 2015, para 1). Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in persons over the age of 65, representing about 60 percent of all dementias. Dementia is specifically characterized by “different pathologic, or structural, changes in the brain, such as an accumulation of
The patient is 71-year-old African American female villager PMD on Saturday for a checkup and the doctor told her to come to the ED because of a low hemoglobin. The patient reports having seen blood in her stool for the last 2 weeks in 2-3 episodes. The blood was mixed with dark and bright red associated with feeling lightheaded. She denies any fever chills, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. She has had some intermittent constipation. Her medical history is significant for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and dementia. The only meds she is on is 81 mg of aspirin daily and when necessary ibuprofen. It does not appear to be on any medicine for her blood pressure. Her initial BP is 176/86 with a pulse of 88. She is oxygenating well on
Delirium, Depression, and Dementia are some of the most common psychological diagnoses in the elderly today. The three D’s are difficult to differentiate between in older adults because they overlap with each other and can all exist in the same patient at once. Delirium, Dementia, and Depression all affect the elderly’s quality of life and often increase the risks for one another (Downing, Caprio & Lyness, 2013). For the purpose of this paper I will be focusing primarily on the diagnosis of Dementia, the prevention, and nursing measures associated with it, but first I would like to differentiate between Delirium and Depression because Dementia is often associated with the two in the older adult population.
Dementia describes a chronic or persistent blend of symptoms that lead to the eventual decline in mental ability. Dementia’s symptoms are caused by brain disease and/or related injuries that can potentially lead to a decline in mental health that is extreme enough to interfere drastically with daily routines. At least two severe impairments of either; memory, communication, focus, perception and judgement are enough to be considered for the development of dementia. According to Alzheimer’s Australia1 - approximately over 353,800 Australian civilians have dementia, which is widely expected to increase to 400,000 in the next five years. Alzheimer’s Australia1 also believes that if a cure is not developed, the number of Australian’s living with dementia will increase to an approximate 900,000 by 2050.
Introduction This assignment critically discusses dementia, a widespread disability among older adults today. It provides an introduction to dementia and analyses its prevalence in society. The various forms of dementia are elaborated with descriptions of dysfunctions and symptoms. Nursing Assessment and Interventions are provided in the further sections which discuss actions nurses should take while evaluating patients and treating them.
Antipsycotics are used to treat conditions like bipolar disorder and treat symptoms such as hallucinations that can occure during episodes of acute mania. Reasons why people stop taking antipsychotic medications can very person to person depending on the persons situations.
Dementia is a term that covers more than 100 diseases that have similar effects on the person (The Department of Health 2014). The symptoms shown are known to affect the proper functioning of the brain, thought, behaviour, bodily actions that are required for daily tasks and one’s normal social and working life (Fight Dementia 2012). Dementia is becoming more prevalent in Australia and globally. With factors such as increased life expectancy having an effect on the brain and nervous system that is still not something that modern medicine can control the degradation of. “While not a consequence of ageing, the prevalence of dementia is increasing as people live longer and the proportion of older people in the population rises” (Hartwell 2014, p. 134). There have been many people researching different factors in one’s lifestyle that can help decrease the chance of developing a form of dementia at or even postpone it until a later age. Even if someone is genetically prone to getting dementia, or is a part of an ethnic group with a high prevalence with dementia, for example Australian Aboriginals, factors such as nutrition, diet, exercise and new medical treatments may help them.
After recovering from the shock of our discussion, I have been attempting to wrap my thoughts around the details.
This paper is on dementia, a late-life disorder, as it pertains to the geriatric population. “It is estimated that 24.3 million people around the world have dementia and that, with an estimated 4.6 million new cases every year, we can expect about 43 million people and their families to have to handle the challenge of dementia by 2020.” (McNamera, 2011) I will cover three relevant points concerning this disorder that cause changes in the brain.
What if there was a way to slow down or even possibly stop the damage caused by Alzheimer’s? Washington University School of Medicine has been working on a solution to that exact notion and it turns out that they have made developments. Consequently, a protein in the brain known as tau may accumulate into deadly jumbles that damage brain cells and this can be directly attributed to diseases such as Alzheimer's. According to the researchers, they believe to have found a medicine that can lessen tau levels and even counteract portions of the neurological damage. Nevertheless, there was a study published in Science Translational Medicine, consisting mice as well as monkeys, where the researchers discovered a molecule known as an antisense oligonucleotide, which could possibly treat irregular tau levels and ultimately
Caring for dementia involves a lot of patience and understanding. It should be dealt with audacity and flawlessness to ensure the vulnerable adults’ well-being. Aiding at home or care home required carers to be at their best, physically and emotionally. The responsibility can be distressing but it is rewarding as well since helping dementia adults in their day to day activities is a significant matter for them. However, carers need a pause as over duty can result to substandard nursing. The big question is: who take care for the carers of people with dementia?