Signs & Symptoms
This term refers to a cluster of symptoms—including a decline in memory and thinking skills—that is severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities.
What is Dementia
This is the key distinguishing factor between delirium and dementia regarding the speed of onset.
What is Delirium comes on suddenly (hours to days), while Dementia develops slowly over months or years
When a patient with dementia is agitated and you need to intervene, you should avoid approaching them from behind and instead approach them from this position.
What is from the front (making eye contact and bending to their eye level)
Unlike sudden-onset terminal conditions, the end-stage clinical course of dementia is best described by this type of trajectory.
What is a prolonged, unpredictable, and gradual decline?
Accounting for 60% to 80% of all cases, this is the most common form of dementia.
What is Alzheimer's disease?
Unlike dementia, an episode of delirium almost always features a primary disturbance in this state.
What is a disturbance in consciousness/attention
A dementia patient is shouting that the staff is trying to poison them. The most appropriate initial response by the nurse is to do this.
What is acknowledge how frightening the feeling is, validate their emotion, and redirect them (rather than arguing or stating facts)
Because a patient with severe dementia can no longer articulate their physical distress, clinicians must rely on this specialized, non-verbal assessment tool to quantify end-of-life discomfort.
What is the PAINAD (Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia) scale
This type of dementia is characterized by a "steplike" downward decline in mental function and is closely associated with hypertension and cerebrovascular disease.
What is Vascular Dementia
When a patient is experiencing hypoactive delirium, they are frequently misdiagnosed as having this condition.
What is Depression
To reduce frustration and prevent "catastrophic reactions" during activities of daily living (ADLs), healthcare workers should use this type of direction.
What is giving simple, one-step directions
This severe behavioral phenomenon—often characterized by acute vocalizations, kicking, or striking out during final-stage care—is frequently driven by untreated physical pain or a full urinary bladder.
What is terminal agitation (or terminal restlessness)
Patients with this specific type of dementia frequently experience visual hallucinations, profound sleep disturbances (acting out dreams), and severe motor/Parkinsonian symptoms.
What is Lewy Body Dementia?
Advanced age, sleep deprivation, sensory impairment, and a recent history of this are major risk factors for developing hospital-acquired delirium.
What is a history of a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or dementia
When bathing or dressing a resistant resident, this method—which involves pausing the task, trying again later, or changing the approach—is preferred over force.
What is Pacing
To qualify a dementia patient for Medicare hospice benefits, a clinician must document that the patient has reached this specific final stage on the Functional Assessment Staging Tool (FAST) scale.
What is Stage 7 (specifically Stage 7c or beyond, indicating loss of speech, ambulation, and ability to sit up)