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Fairfield University School of Nursing ELDER Project

Best Practices in Care for Older Adults Nursing Assistants Session 2 Topic: Depression, Delirium and Dementia. Fairfield University School of Nursing ELDER Project. Depression in Older Adults. What is it? A disease with: Mood changes (sadness) Trouble thinking Feelings of loss or guilt

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Fairfield University School of Nursing ELDER Project

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  1. Best Practices in Care for Older AdultsNursing Assistants Session 2Topic: Depression, Delirium and Dementia Fairfield University School of Nursing ELDER Project

  2. Depression in Older Adults • What is it? • A disease with: • Mood changes (sadness) • Trouble thinking • Feelings of loss or guilt • Physical changes • Sometimes thought of harming self

  3. Different Kinds of Depression • May have mild depression with a few symptoms • May have major depression which is the most common and can last a long time if untreated • May have short term depression because of something that just happened (loss of a spouse). This is normal grief.

  4. What can you do? • We need to help older adults to understand that depression is not a weakness • Depression is a disease just like high blood pressure! • Encourage them to talk to their doctor or nurse about it

  5. Most Common Symptoms of Depression • Sadness, Crying • Trouble Concentrating • Forgetful- May look like dementia • Acting out • Not interested in activities/hobbies • Change in appetite (more or less) • Change in sleep (more or less)

  6. What can you do? • Allow your patients to talk about their feelings • Don’t ignore their feelings • Encourage them to stay involved in activities • If on medications: • Watch for falls, dizziness, confusion, changes in blood pressure

  7. Topic: Delirium • Sudden change in patient’s behavior • Not permanent, can be cured • Sometimes from • Medications • Sensory Overload • Medical Illness

  8. Most at risk for delirium: • Those who have fallen and fractured their hip

  9. What can you do? • Report changes in behavior immediately to the nurse • Keep yourself and the patient safe

  10. Topic: Topic: DementiaMental Status Changes in Older Adults • 60% of nursing home residents have dementia • Dementia is: a major loss of intellectual abilities such as memory. severe enough to change ability to work or socialize.

  11. What you might see: • Changes in dressing, grooming, eating • Not knowing who they are, where they are, what time or day it is • Changes in mood • Changes in memory • Changes in judgment • Changes come on slowly over time

  12. What is Dementia? Changes in : • Language • Memory • Motion and Function • Personality • Judgment Usually irreversible

  13. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) • AD is one type of dementia • About ½ of all dementia patients have AD • Don’t know what triggers it

  14. What can you do? • Keep the same routine • Allow them to rest • Speak slowly and clearly • Make eye contact • Limit choices

  15. What can you do? • Keep the person as independent as possible • Make simple changes to help them function at as high a level as possible • You don’t need to correct them, sometimes it is ok to agree with them

  16. Reference The content covered in this presentation is provided by the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing (2001, 2003) • Some of the material in this presentation obtained from graciously shared by: Mather’s LifeWays, 2003

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