Alzheimers Disease (AD) >most common form of dementia (chronic and progressive) >dementia is characterized by chronic cognitive impairments

s and is differentiated by underlying cause, not sx patterns (cortical/subcortical). >caused by: >neurofibrillary tangles > abnormal twisted protein threads found inside the cell >beta-amyloid plaques > deposits >destroy cholinergic neurons >Ach (acetylcholine) is decreased + genetic > autosomal dominant >oxidative stress + mitochondrial dysfunction > DAT (dementia Alzheimers type) has an average course of 5-10 yrs, w/ a range of 2 to 20 years Stage 1: mild or early Stage 2: moderate or middle Stage 3: severe varies Stage 4: terminal stage >forgetfulness short term memory loss >confusion progressive memory decline, disorientation, depression, confabulation. >ambulatory dementia functional losses, language problems, loss of reasoning, depression, wandering behavior >end stage -no recognition, very little purposeful activities immobile and does not swallow and chew. 5 As of Alzheimer Anomia (ano tawag dito?) -A problem with word finding. Impaired recall of words with no impairment of comprehension or the capacity to repeat the words. Amnesia (sino ako?) -Lack of memory. Apraxia (bat ayaw gumana?) -The inability to execute a voluntary motor movement despite being able to demonstrate normal muscle function. Apraxia is not related to a lack of understanding or to any kind of physical paralysis but is caused by a problem in the cortex of the brain. Agnosia (ano tong nasa anong tawag dito?) -The inability to recognize and identify objects or persons despite having knowledge of the characteristics of those objects or persons. People with agnosia may have difficulty recognizing the geometric features of an object or face or may be able to perceive the geometric features but not know what the object is used for or whether a face is familiar or not. Agnosia can be limited to one sensory modality such as vision or hearing. Aphasia (I cant say the word I want) -is a disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain that are responsible for language. For most people, these are areas on the left side (hemisphere) of the brain. Aphasia usually occurs suddenly, often as the result of a stroke or head injury, but it may also develop slowly, as in the case of a brain tumor, an infection, or dementia. The disorder impairs the expression and understanding of language as well as reading and writing. Disturbance in executive functioning >misidentification calling a family member >sundowning afternoon or early evening ->patient agitated Caring for patients w/ DAT or AD P L E A S E C A R E P provide basic human needs L listen to what the person isnt saying E encourage periodic rest + sleep A assist in ADL (activities in daily living) S sing and dance as necessary E engage in reminiscing activities C call person by name and always introduce yourself at the start A actively involve client in activities and simple decision making R redirect inappropriate behavior like anger E exaggerate facial expression and gesture in communicating face to face Medications for Ach (acetylcholine) deficiency (not an Ach inhibitor and blocks abnormal signaling by glutamate at NMDA receptors)

C A R E N C Cognex (tacrine) A Aricept (donepezil) R Razadyne (galantamine) E Exelon (rivastigmine) N Namenda (memantine)