Cognative Loss in Dementia

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When the Mind Falters:
Cognitive Losses
in Dementia
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Joel Streim, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program
University of Pennsylvania
VISN 4 Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center
Philadelphia VA Medical Center

Delaware Valley Geriatric Education Center

The goal of this module is to teach direct staff about the
syndrome of dementia and its clinical effects on residents. It
focuses on the ways that the symptoms of dementia affect
persons’ functional ability and behavior.
We begin with an overview of the symptoms of cognitive
impairment.
We continue with a description of the causes, epidemiology,
and clinical course (stages) of dementia.
We then turn to a closer look at the specific areas of cognitive
impairment, and examine how deficits in different areas of
cognitive function can interfere with the person’s daily
functioning, causing disability.
The accompanying videotape illustrates these principles, using
the example of a nursing home resident whose cognitive
impairment interferes in various ways with her eating behavior
and ability to feed herself.

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Objectives
At the end of this module you should be able to:
Describe the stages of dementia
Distinguish among specific cognitive
impairments from dementia
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Link specific cognitive impairments with the
disabilities they cause
Give examples of cognitive impairments and
disabilities
Describe what to do when there is an acute
change in cognitive or functional status
Delaware Valley Geriatric Education Center

At the end of this module you should be able to
• Describe the stages of dementia.
These are early, middle and late, and we discuss them in more detail.
• Distinguish among specific cognitive impairments from dementia.
These are things like memory loss or ability to recognize objects.
• Link specific cognitive impairments with the disabilities...