What are three differences between dementia and delirium? Can a client who has dementia also experience delirium? How is the focus of nursing care different for clients who have dementia vs. clients who have delirium? Dementia and delirium are two similar cognitive impairments that occur in older populations. They differ in the onset of symptoms as dementia is more of a gradual occurrence compared to deliriums’ sudden occurrence (Fong, Davis, Growdon, Albuquerque, & Inouye, 2015). A second notable difference between the two is what is causing each impairment. Delirium has a variety of causes including infection, trauma, drug toxicity, etc. Dementia is a result of damage to or loss of nerve cells in the brain. Third, dementia does not have a cure whereas delirium can be resolved when the underlying condition is taken care of. Clients who have dementia are at an increased risk for developing delirium (Fong et al., 2015). The focus of nursing care for clients with dementia revolve around making the patient comfortable and trying to maximize ADLs for the patient. Clients with delirium would also treat the symptoms and provide comfort, but they would also carry out treatment to resolve the delirium.