• Medical_Professionals
• Medical_students
• Nurses

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patients' conditions and possible contraindications or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

GOAL:

To provide participants with a review of reversible and irreversible dementias and their treatment, as well as the pharmacist's role in screening for dementia and addressing caregiver needs.

OBJECTIVES:

After completing this activity, the participant should be able to:

Discuss the types of reversible and irreversible dementias.

Identify the medications that can lead to cognitive impairment, as well as medications used to treat dementia.

Describe simple assessment tools that can be administered to screen for dementia.

Understand the role of the pharmacist in patient and caregiver education.

ABSTRACT: Dementia is a decline in cognition severe enough to interfere with functions of daily living. Dementias may be reversible, and associated with adverse effects or toxicities associated with drugs; or irreversible, with the most common type being Alzheimer's disease. Standardized screening tools are available to differentiate between memory lapses or behaviors associated with Alzheimer's disease and those changes that are age-related. If a patient is diagnosed with dementia, drug treatment may be initiated. Pharmacists have a role in screening for dementia and monitoring drug treatment, and can be a resource for caretakers regarding referrals and patient care.

Dementia is a general term used to describe a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with functions of daily living.1 Typically, this is manifested in memory losses, the inability to learn new information, behavioral changes, and emotional apathy.1 The terminology of diagnosis for dementia changed with the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in 2013. The earlier edition, DSM-IV, required memory impairment and at least one of the following: aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, or other disturbances in executive functioning in order to assign a diagnosis of dementia.2 The DSM-5 updated the term for dementia to major neurocognitive disorder. The DSM-5 now lists six cognitive domains to assist in the diagnosis of cognitive disorders: complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor function, and social cognition. Major neurocognitive disorder requires a severe deterioration in one or more of these areas, to the extent of interference with activities of daily living. DSM-5 also includes a diagnosis of mild neurocognitive disorder, which is identified by a modest decline from previous performance in one or more of the domains listed above.

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CE Customer Service

Phone: (800) 825-4696

E-mail: cecustomerservice@jobson.com