Supporting patients with cognitive impairment
About 30 per cent of people over the age of 65 have difficulties with memory and thinking.
This is known as cognitive impairment and may be caused by:
- dementia, which is a long term and progressive change to someone’s thinking and memory
- delirium, which is sudden changes to thinking and behaviour caused by infection, dehydration and other conditions – read more about delirium
- intellectual disability, a lifelong condition that affects a person’s intellectual skills and behaviour in different situations
- other neurological conditions, such as stroke, trauma, and infections and diseases of the brain.
Patients with cognitive impairment may find it difficult to:
- remember
- learn new things
- concentrate
- make everyday decisions.
Symptoms may range from mild to severe, and it often becomes more obvious in an unfamiliar setting like a hospital.
People with cognitive impairment are at increased risk of delirium. If you are concerned a patient may have delirium, please inform their treating team so appropriate action can be taken.
Delirium screening involves comparing a patient’s current memory and thinking to what they are usually like. As a family member or carer, your knowledge of the patient can help medical staff identify any changes that may be happening. When needed, medical staff further assess a patient’s physical and medical condition to see if changes to their current treatment plan are needed.
About the cognitive impairment identifier
The cognitive impairment identifier (pictured right) is placed near a patient’s bed to alert staff that a patient has memory and/or thinking difficulties such as:
- delirium
- dementia
- intellectual disability.
Bedside alerts such as this are often used in hospitals to identify patients with specific care needs.
Even if meeting the patient for the first time, the cognitive impairment identifier reminds the treating team of that patient’s specific care and communication needs so they can better assist them during their hospital stay.
The bedside alert also allows the treating team to involve the patient’s family and carers in their care as much as possible.
If you have concerns about the bedside alert, please discuss this with the treating team.
More information
Read the Hospital Stay Guidelines (external site), which aim to improve the hospital experience for people with disability and empower people to have more say in their healthcare.
Visit:
- Alzheimer’s WA (external site) or phone 1300 66 77 88
- Caring for Cognitive Impairment (external site)
- Carers Australia WA (external site) or phone 1300 227 377
- Dementia Care in Hospitals (external site)
- My Aged Care (external site) or phone 1800 200 422
Find out more
Read more about how we can work together to provide safe, quality patient care.