Alzheimer's disease: nursing interventions for clients and caretakers.

1. Senile dementia Alzheimer's type (SDAT), a progressive, degenerative disorder, affects tissues of the brain, causing a loss of neurons. This process results in brain atrophy, specifically in the frontal and temporal regions where integration of new information and memory retrieval occur. 2. Increasing age is the single most well-established risk factor for the development of SDAT (Brody, 1989). Because increasing age is the primary risk factor for the development of SDAT and because the elder population is increasing, the number of afflicted persons will probably rise (Ham, 1990). 3. The objectives of nursing interventions are to assist the client in remaining as independent as possible; to function at the highest possible cognitive, physical, emotional, and social levels; and to support the family and/or significant others in effectively carrying out their functions and goals.