Summary: <p>Alzheimer's and Dementias<br> Instructor: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes, PhD<br> Executive Director: AllCEUs.com, Counselor Education and Training<br> Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox & Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery</p> <p>Objectives<br> ~ Explore symptoms of cognitive impairment in<br> ~ Alzheimer’s<br> ~ Dementias<br> ~ Review APA Treatment Guidelines for counselors working with persons with Alzheimer’s<br> ~ Identify methods for effective communication<br> ~ Learn how to handle difficult behaviors</p> <p>Symptoms of Cognitive Impairment<br> ~ Patients with dementia display a broad range of cognitive impairments, behavioral symptoms, and mood changes<br> ~ The development of multiple cognitive deficits manifested by both<br> ~ (1) Memory impairment (impaired ability to learn new information or to recall previously learned information)<br> ~ (2) One (or more) of the following cognitive disturbances:<br> ~ (a) Aphasia (language disturbance)<br> ~ (b) Apraxia (impaired ability to carry out motor activities despite intact motor function)<br> ~ (c) Agnosia (failure to recognize or identify objects despite intact sensory function)<br> ~ (d) Disturbance in executive functioning (i.e., Planning, organizing, sequencing, abstracting)<br> Symptoms of Cognitive Impairment<br> ~ Other Symptoms<br> ~ Attention<br> ~ Perception<br> ~ Insight and judgment<br> ~ Organization<br> ~ Orientation<br> ~ Processing speed<br> ~ Problem solving<br> ~ Reasoning<br> ~ Metacognition: processes used to plan, monitor, and assess one’s understanding and performance</p> <p>Symptoms of Cognitive Impairment<br> ~ Prominent memory symptoms include all EXCEPT:<br> ~ Difficulty learning new material<br> ~ May lose valuables or forget food cooking on the stove<br> ~ Forget previously learned material, including the names of loved ones<br> ~ Difficulty with spatial tasks, such as navigating around the house or in the immediate neighborhood<br> ~ Agitation, within the context of a diagnosis of dementia, is an umbrella term that can refer to a range of behavioral disturbances, including aggression, combativeness, hyperactivity, and disinhibition<br> ~ Individuals with questionable cognitive impairment have Borderline functioning in several areas but definite impairment in none. Such individuals are not considered demented, but they should be evaluated over time<br> Causes of Cognitive Impairment<br> ~ Vascular Dementia<br> ~ Stroke<br> ~ Impeded blood flow to brain<br> ~ Alzheimer's<br> ~ Brain Injury from a fall<br> ~ Primary or secondary brain tumor<br> ~ Endocrine conditions (hypothyroidism, hypercalcemia, hypoglycemia)<br> ~ Nutritional conditions (deficiency of thiamin, niacin, or vitamin b12 (Wernike-Korsakoff’s Syndrome))<br> ~ Infectious conditions (HIV, neurosyphilis, cryptococcus)<br> ~ Problems with renal and hepatic function<br> ~ Effects of medications (e.g., benzodiazepines)<br> ~ The toxic effect of long-standing substance abuse<br> Diagnostic Criteria<br> ~ Mild or Major Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Alzheimer's<br> ~ Criteria adapted from the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) include:<br> ~ Dementia established by examination and objective testing<br> ~ Deficits in two or more cognitive areas<br> ~ Progressive worsening of memory and other cognitive functions<br> ~ No disturbance in consciousness<br> ~ Onset between ages 40 and 90<br> Diagnostic<br> ~ Alzheimer’s cont…<br> ~ Some individuals may show personality changes or increased irritability in the early stages<br> ~ In the middle and later stages of the disease<br> ~ Psychotic symptoms are common<br> ~ Patients develop incontinence and gait and motor disturbances, eventually becoming mute and bedridden.<br> Diagnostic<br> ~ Parkinson's<br> ~ Insidious onset<b></b></p>
