Deck 38: Confusion and Dementia

Question 1

Which statement is correct regarding changes in the brain?

A) Aging causes changes in the brain and nervous system.
B) Weight gain affects the brain.
C) Hormonal changes affect brain function.
D) When the brain is affected, signs, symptoms, and behaviors are permanent.

Answer 1

Aging causes changes in the brain and nervous system.

Question 2

Cognitive function involves which of the following?

A) Memory and thinking
B) Hormonal balance
C) Temperature regulation
D) The senses and mobility

Answer 2

Memory and thinking

Question 3

Which is a cause of confusion in older persons?

A) Arthritis
B) Vitamin use
C) Change in lunar phases of the moon
D) Reduced blood supply to the brain

Answer 3

Reduced blood supply to the brain

Question 4

Which is common with confusion?

A) Aphasia and paralysis
B) Personality and mental changes
C) Increased duration of sleep cycles
D) Restraints are needed

Question 5

Which statement about acute confusion is correct?

A) It occurs gradually.
B) It is usually permanent.
C) Infection, illness, and injury are common causes.
D) Excessive use of vitamins is a common cause.

Question 6

A resident is confused. Which is correct?

A) Open drapes during the day.
B) Keep the room dark at bedtime.
C) Provide music in the background of the person's room.
D) Perform all ADL for the person.

Question 7

Which statement about dementia is correct?

A) Most older people show signs and symptoms of dementia.
B) Persons with signs and symptoms of dementia need to see a therapist.
C) All dementias can be treated and reversed.
D) The person with dementia may have delirium and depression.

Question 8

Which is an early warning sign of dementia?

A) Getting lost in unfamiliar places
B) Problems with complex tasks, such as working a large puzzle
C) Anxiety and hallucinations
D) Misplacing things and putting things in unusual places

Question 9

Which statement about permanent dementia is correct?

A) There is a cure, although it takes a long time to achieve it.
B) Loss of cognitive function improves over time.
C) Disease progression is the same for everyone affected.
D) The person has signs and symptoms of dementia.

Question 10

Which statement about pseudodementia is correct?

A) The person has signs and symptoms that are different from dementia.
B) There is no real difference between dementia and pseudodementia.
C) It can occur with delirium and depression.
D) All causes are treated the same way.

Question 11

Which statement about delirium is correct?

A) Onset is gradual.
B) It is common in older people with acute illnesses.
C) It is not an emergency.
D) It is not necessary to treat; it will resolve.

Question 12

Which statement about depression is correct?

A) It does not occur in older persons.
B) Depression, aging, and some drug side effects have similar signs and symptoms.
C) Depression is uncommon in older persons.
D) The person hallucinates and has attention problems.

Question 13

Which statement about Alzheimer's disease is correct?

A) Brain cells controlling intellectual and social function die.
B) The person has behavior, mood, and personality changes.
C) Memory and mental abilities suddenly decline.
D) Sudden in onset, the disease progresses over many years.

Question 14

Which of the following problems occur early in mild AD?

A) Blaming others for mistakes
B) Difficulty managing money
C) Moodiness
D) Problems with performing ADL

Question 15

A resident has AD. Which of the following is probably caused by AD?

A) Forgetting names
B) A rash on her or his extremities
C) Resenting family members
D) Having a fever

Question 16

A resident has AD. Which of the following is probably caused by AD?

A) Loss of control
B) Loneliness
C) Not being able to tell time
D) Skin tears and skin breakdown

Question 17

A resident is in the last stage of AD. The person's care plan should include which of the following?

A) Measures to prevent wandering
B) Providing for all ADL
C) Insertion of a Foley catheter
D) Use of restraints

Question 18

Which statement about wandering is correct?

A) There is always a cause.
B) You can reason with the person as to why wandering is not safe.
C) The person did not get enough exercise that day.
D) Pain, restlessness, and anxiety are possible causes.

Question 19

A resident has AD. She tends to wander. Her care plan should include which of the following?

A) Make sure that she wears her ID bracelet.
B) Restrain her to a chair so that she can still see outside.
C) Direct her to her room for trying to leave.
D) Let her wander on the sidewalks outside.

Question 20

A resident with AD experiences sundowning every day. The person's care plan should include which of the following?

A) Complete treatments and activities in the evening to give him or her something to do.
B) Keep lights on at night to prevent darkness.
C) Ask the person what the problem is.
D) Provide adequate lighting.

Question 21

A resident has AD. The person's hallucinations include seeing "kitty cats" in the closet. Which of the following measures will be helpful?

A) Making sure that the person wears needed eyeglasses
B) Directing the person to his or her room
C) Turn on some background noise
D) Explaining that there are no cats in the nursing center

Question 22

A resident has AD. The person's hallucinations include seeing "kitty cats" in the closet. Which of the following measures will be helpful?

A) Helping the person search the closet
B) Restraining the person
C) Preventing glares, shadows, and reflections
D) Taking the person to his or her room for bed

Question 23

A resident has AD. The person thinks that the food contains poison. What could you do for the person to help her or him?

A) Offering to taste the food for the person
B) Showing the person the box where the food came from
C) Taking the person for a walk
D) Reasoning with the person

Question 24

A resident has AD. Sometimes, the person is agitated and combative. The person is pacing and trying to hit others. Which of the following measures would be helpful?

A) Restraining the person
B) Sending the person to her or his room
C) Distracting the person to go away from others
D) Providing a calm, quiet setting

Question 25

A resident has AD. The person often screams a word in a foreign language. Possible causes of screaming include which of the following?

A) The person is reacting to a family member.
B) The person has repressed anger.
C) The person is acting out for attention.
D) Depression and aging.

Question 26

A resident has AD. She is trying to rub her perineum through her clothes. Which statement is correct?

A) The behavior is sexual.
B) She needs to be told this is inappropriate behavior.
C) She may be trying to seek attention.
D) She may have pain or discomfort in her urinary or reproductive system.

Question 27

While caring for a person with AD, you find yourself becoming frustrated and short-tempered. Which of the following statements is correct?

A) The person should be restrained.
B) The person deserves to be punished for improper behavior.
C) The person is responsible for agitated, aggressive, and wandering behaviors.
D) The person has the same rights as other residents.

Question 28

A resident has AD. The person easily becomes agitated and combative. Which of the following measures might help the person?

A) Change the person's routines.
B) Allow for background noise to keep the resident distracted.
C) Keep the person's treasures nearby.
D) Change the person's room.

Question 29

A maintenance worker left a hammer at the nurses' station. What should you do?

A) Leave it there.
B) Ask the maintenance department to send someone to pick it up.
C) Place it in a secure drawer. Then report its location to the maintenance department.
D) Look for the maintenance worker who left it.

Question 30

Which is a safety measure to protect persons with AD?

A) Keep doors partly open or partly closed, never completely closed.
B) Allow the resident to store his or her car keys in the bedside table.
C) Allow the person who smokes time each day to do so in private.
D) Place safety plugs in electrical outlets.

Question 31

A resident has AD. The person's care plan should include which of the following measures to promote sleep?

A) Follow the person's bedtime rituals.
B) Keep the room dark at night.
C) Encourage the person to nap during the day.
D) Encourage caffeine during the day.

Question 32

A resident has AD. You are helping the person dress. Which action is correct?

A) Leave the room when the person puts on undergarments to protect the right to privacy.
B) Let the person choose the order the person will put it on.
C) Hand the person the stack of clothing for her or him to put on and leave the room.
D) Tell the person what to do with each clothing item.

Question 33

A resident has AD. When meeting the person's basic needs, you should do which of the following?

A) Encourage bed rest.
B) Provide for personal hygiene, oral hygiene, and skin care.
C) Promote exercise and activity during the late evening hours.
D) Provide an evening full of music and dancing with other residents.

Question 34

When a person's care needs became great, the person's family agreed on the need for nursing center care. You would expect family members to experience which of the following?

A) Joy
B) Relief
C) Denial
D) Guilt

Question 35

A resident has AD. She tends to wander and is sometimes combative. Her son asks you to restrain her. Which statement is correct?

A) Restraints require an ombudsman's order.
B) Restraints are used if the family requests them.
C) Restraints can make confused and demented behaviors worse.
D) All family members have the right to request restraints for their family members.