Neurology UE 116 - Aging, Dementia and Disorders of Cognition

Course overview

Define the basic terminology and discuss the prevalence of cognitive disturbances seen in older persons. Describe normative changes in brain function with normal aging and their relevance to the diagnoses of delirium and dementias. Discuss how symptoms are altered with normal aging for an individual. Describe normal sensory changes with aging and how they alter a person’s overall ability to adapt to stress. Describe how, and for what type of patient, to use the Mini-Mental State Examination as a part of the physical or occupational therapy examination. Describe common sensory changes with dementia and implications for adapting PT or OT evaluation and intervention. Discuss common changes in learning styles with aging and implications for adaptingPT or OTintervention to enhance patients’ ability to perform at their highest functional level. Describe how environmental design and ergonomics can enhance patient performance in activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Describe a strategy to evaluate a patient’s emotional capacity to participate in a learning task and its clinical relevance to both OT and PT outcomes. Describe criteria for delirium and reversible dementia and sample strategies for modifying evaluation and treatment procedures. Discuss symptoms and disease progression in irreversible dementia. Discuss the therapist’s role on the treatment team in educating key caregivers and support personnel and sample training strategies. Discuss treatment skills that are helpful in working with persons who have irreversible dementia. Describe research activities and new findings that affect physical evaluation and treatment of the patient with dementia or delirium.