Inpatient care for persons with Alzheimer's disease.
In the United States, 4.9 million people aged 65 years and older have Alzheimer's disease (AD). Medicare costs for patients with heart disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and dementia are higher than for those without dementia. Although one principle of care for persons with AD is "do not hospitalize," comorbidities may require inpatient care. This article presents a definition, the diagnostic criteria for AD, and information about differential diagnosis, risk factors, pathology, progression, evidence base for practice, assessment, pharmacologic management, guidelines for general inpatient care, discharge planning, and interventions related to communications, environment, spirituality, special tasks (eating, protecting tubes and dressings, bathing), stages of AD, and special problems (wandering, pain, incontinence, hallucinations, aggression).
Sparks
Martha B
MB
College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IL 47712, USA. msparks@usi.edu
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003142:Communication; D015897:Comorbidity; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010351:Patient Discharge; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D012307:Risk Factors; D029181:Spirituality; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate