"Understanding Dementia"
Attention and Concentration
This is an excerpt from the book Understanding Dementia, which is meant to be a practical manual for primary care physicians and other health care professionals.
Attention and Concentration are tested during the entire interview with observations on the patient's level of distractability and ability to answer a question without losing the train of thought. More formal tests include saying the days of the week or months of the year backwards, or progressively more difficult calculations, such as counting backwards from 20 by 2, 40 by 4, and 100 by 7. Abnormal attention is the hallmark of delirium and should be carefully sought in a patient with new onset Onset
It defines the time when the disease begins, not when it is diagnosed. (e.g. early onset vs. late onset) cognitive Cognitive
See cognition dysfunction, especially in the presence of an acute Acute
When something is "acute", it means that it is generally short in duration and usually severe.
illness (Table 5.3).
Delirium (Table 5.3)
Taken from Understanding Dementia: A Primer of Diagnosis Diagnosis
The process by which a physician determines what disease a patient has by studying the patient’s symptoms and medical history and by analyzing any tests performed (blood, urine, brain scans, etc.). and Management
© Kenneth Rockwood & Chris MacKnight, 2001
Chapter 5, p 82
See Also:
Symptom Library > Thinking & Judgment > Attention/Concentration (lack of)
About Dementia > "Understanding Dementia" > Delirium
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