Evidence and practice Previous Next

What is the difference between delirium and dementia?

Stacey Louise Finlay Unit sister, Domnall Intermediate Care Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland, British Geriatrics Society, London, England

Delirium and dementia are two distinct disorders, but they have overlapping symptoms which can lead to difficulty in differentiation

Delirium is a disorder that causes simultaneous disturbance of attention, orientation, awareness and global neurocognitive impairment with fluctuating symptoms that develop acutely (World Health Organization (WHO) 2023a). Delirium can be (Evans 2023):

» Hyperactive, presenting with agitation and restlessness.

» Hypoactive, presenting with sluggishness and inactivity.

» Mixed, presenting with both hyper and hypoactive symptoms.

Nursing Older People. 35, 3, 22-23. doi: 10.7748/nop.35.3.22.s9

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software

Want to read more?

Already have access? Log in

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months

RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:

Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now

Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more

30 May 2023 / Vol 35 issue 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DIGITAL EDITION