Caring for elderly patients with acute dementia

The article was written by a doctor of Emergency Resuscitation Department - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital

The disease progresses rapidly; Symptoms are usually subtle, not aggressive; Severe prognosis; Poor response to treatment; Drugs of limited use; Long recovery time; High cost of treatment. Therefore, early detection of serious diseases in the elderly is extremely important, contributing to reducing mortality, reducing injury rates, helping patients recover quickly, reducing care and treatment costs. Old age is very important and necessary.
Acute dementia in the elderly is often an indicator of serious acute diseases in the elderly such as:
Cerebrovascular accident; Heart attack ; Acute heart failure; Pneumonia; Severe infections; Acid-base balance disorder; Respiratory failure; Water disturbances reduced electricity; Increased or decreased blood sugar; Emergency complications of diabetes; Acute anemia; Thyroid disease.

Dementia in the elderly is a clinical syndrome characterized by cognitive dysfunction in the elderly. Dementia is characterized by a decline in cognitive function, memory, ability to concentrate, problem-solving, and impaired activity of the senses and perception.
Manifestations of dementia in the elderly include:
2.1 Memory loss Signs of near-term memory loss often occur. For example, patients often do not remember recent events or words or thoughts that they have just heard or said, or even the names of people they come into contact with a lot, such as colleagues, friends, family members. family,...
2.2 Orientation dysfunction The patient may get lost, forget the way home, the way to familiar places, lose orientation in space or time.
2.3 Functional dysfunction Impaired and lost, the patient has difficulty in performing all activities, even simple daily activities such as eating, personal hygiene, the sick person even have completely lost basic daily functioning skills and have to completely depend on relatives. Activity disorders are a sign that dementia in the elderly has progressed relatively..
2.4 Language disorders Another sign that dementia in the elderly causes is language disorder. Patients may have difficulty using words when communicating, not expressing their intentions, using words, mispronouncing, stammering. ..

In the formerly normal elderly, the sudden onset of the above signs is acute dementia.
When relatives discover that their loved ones have acute dementia, they should urgently take them to the hospital to be examined and evaluated by a doctor so as to early detect serious acute diseases in the elderly and promptly treat them. contribute to limiting disease, disability and death for the elderly.
Vinmec International General Hospital is a high-quality medical facility in Vietnam with a team of highly qualified medical professionals, well-trained, domestic and foreign, and experienced.
A system of modern and advanced medical equipment, possessing many of the best machines in the world, helping to detect many difficult and dangerous diseases in a short time, supporting the diagnosis and treatment of doctors the most effective. The hospital space is designed according to 5-star hotel standards, giving patients comfort, friendliness and peace of mind.