Course Description
Dementia is not a specific disease. It is a general term that describes a deteriorating mental capacity that affects the person’s ability to care for one’s self. In many cases, the person may still be physically capable of doing a task, but may not recognize some risk in completing that task. People with dementia can have symptoms like trouble remembering and recognizing dangerous situations. What someone may take as common sense may not make sense for someone with dementia. And the symptoms get worse over time, until the person will no longer be able to take care of himself. Caring for a dementia patient can be a very frustrating experience. Burnout among caregivers of dementia persons is real. It is truly a 24/7 job especially if the person’s cognition has significantly declined and has tendencies to wander, has poor safety judgment and frequent episodes of restlessness and anxiety. Caregivers of persons with dementia need to find resources and support before they get into this stage.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize the prevalence of dementia among the elderly.
- Review the types of dementia and precipitating factors.
- Enumerate common symptoms of dementia.
- List the stages of dementia.
- List the tests when ruling out the diagnosis of dementia.
- Lists tips on how to care for a person with dementia.
- Discuss incidence of burnout among caregivers of persons with dementia.