NSG 3320 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Sensorium, Confabulation, Medical Emergency
22 Feb 2020
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Document Summary
Class 12: mental health concerns of the elderly. Types of aging: primary aging: universal, intrinsic, inevitable, irreversible, insidious, progressive. Complex process of age related structural and functional changes over time. Changes reduce function, begins after physical and reproductive maturity has been reached. Cumulates in death: secondary aging: not inevitable. Related to extrinsic factors such as socioeconomic status, prolonged stress, exposure to environmental toxins, health habits, lifestyle choices, consequence of disease. Normal physiological changes: changes in memory, changes in cognitive processing, and intelligence. Teaching implications for this involves slower learning for the patient. They can still learn but with slower mental processing time. Mental health issues in aging: depression, anxiety disorders, delirium (secondary to general medical condition), dementia, alcohol and other substance abuse, trauma. Judgement, insight: poor: sensorium, intellectual processes: loss of intellectual function, memory deficits, confabulation, self concept, roles, relationships, physiologic, self care: disturbed sleep, incontinence, hygiene deficits. Helpful techniques for interviewing: gather preliminary data, keep questions short.
