UNIT 12: COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND DEMENTIA

Cognitive impairment and dementia are one of the most important public health problems in developed countries. They can be attributed to multiple factors linked to aging.

I am going to focus this post in the alzheimer disease. Alzheimer disease is the most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer is a progressive disease, which means that gradually, over time, more parts of the brain are damaged. As this happens, the symptoms become more severe. 

Nurses can find patients with this disease in the different levels of care. Depending on the state of the disease, it is not easy to deal with it, so nurses need to know what the main symptoms and consequences of this pathology are. 

I think that, once again, the key word is prevention. Nurse shares a lot of time with patients, so she has to be careful when working with old persons to find any symptoms, such as loss of memory or difficulty in retaining information. While there are some common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, it is important to remember that everyone is unique. No two people are likely to experience Alzheimer's disease in the same way.

Once the disease has been diagnosed, nurse also has a fundamental role in the care of the affected family. As I mentioned earlier, it is not always easy to deal with these patients. 

As the disease progresses, people with Alzheimer's will need more support from those who care for them. Eventually, they will need help with all their daily activities. This is going to be hard for the family.

In these cases the nurse should show them support at all times, teaching them how they can help their family member.

Bibliography

• Balbás Liaño V.M. El profesional de Enfermería y el Alzheimer. Nure Investigación (13), 2005. 
  Disponible en: http://www.nureinvestigacion.es/FICHEROS_ADMINISTRADOR/PROTOCOLO/protocolo%2013.pdf