The following course is designed to educate healthcare providers on the issues most frequently seen during early stage dementia. It is important to acknowledge that not all types of cognitive impairment will show the same symptoms during the early stage.
This course identifies the differences between various forms of dementia in their early manifestations. Currently, research does not describe any distinct differences between the stages, so some people may experience certain symptoms earlier than others.
It is important for healthcare providers to educate people living with dementia and their care partners on changes that will likely occur as the dementia progresses. In particular, this course will focus on Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal degeneration.
What You Will Learn
- The hallmark signs of early dementia
- Changes in cognitive status that are typical of early dementia
- Common behavioral and psychological symptoms
- General strategies for managing symptoms
Details
Course length: 1 hour and 30 minutes; CEU: 1.5
Languages: American English
Key features: audio narration, learning activity, and post-assessment
Get Certified
American Medical Compliance (AMC) is a leader in the industry for compliance, Billing and HR solutions. To become certified, please visit us at: American Medical Compliance (AMC).
Reach out for other courses by visiting the AMC Course Library.
Key Points
In the early stage of dementia, most types of disease manifestations are associated with significant memory impairments that interfere in their interactions with others. When providers are aware of the general stage of disease progression that their patient is in, they can develop a framework for treating their medical and psychosocial needs. People in the early stages are still able to remain independent as they only have limited impairments to their cognitive functioning.
Organizing Care Around Dementia
As dementia progresses, it will impact every aspect of a person’s life. Primary care providers can help manage the medical needs of patients. During the early stages, people are typically still living at home, either alone or with a care partner.
It can be challenging for providers to treat patients with dementia knowing that it is incurable. There are few accepted medical options available. The medications that have been approved are not curative, and instead can only alleviate symptoms in the mild or moderate stages. Therefore, it is not appropriate for providers to emphasize treatment goals solely on a cure. Instead, providers should aim to give care to patients and their care partners. Appropriate treatment goals include providing symptom relief or minimizing the negative effects.
Each patient with dementia will have specific needs and concerns based on their individual disease progression. Other factors that can influence individual needs of patients include age and comorbid conditions. Due to the chronic nature of the disease, providers and patients should continually meet to re-evaluate treatment goals and approaches.
Symptoms of Early Stage Dementia
Dementia is a disease the leads to cognitive functioning impairments that can impact one’s ability to complete activities of daily living, or ADL. During the early stage, patients still exhibit some degree of cognition and personality. However, the individual level of brain cell damage can lead to differences in memory impairment.
It is important to acknowledge that dementia encompasses more than memory impairments. There are also other sensory impairments that occur as damage to the brain progresses. In particular, visuoperceptual abilities are affected. In Lewy body dementia, visual hallucinations are extremely common, even in the early stages. As the disease progresses into later stages, people will begin to completely lose the ability to participate in ADL. Many patients will need assistance in completing these tasks. This course provides a more thorough examination of the neuropsychiatric and behavioral consequences associated with cognitive impairments.
