A 79-year-old woman suffering from dementia of the Alzheimer's type resides in an independent living long-term care facility. During a recent nursing visit, the client was quite upset about the loss of her frying pan. While the client was complaining about its loss, she was holding the pan in her hand. The nurse pointed out to the client that she had the pan she was looking for. The client looked at the pan and stated, "No, this is not it." The nurse knows the client is exhibiting:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The client's behavior of holding the frying pan and not recognizing it as the object she was looking for is a classic example of agnosia, which is the inability to recognize familiar objects despite intact sensory abilities. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye movement, aphasia is a language disorder, and apraxia is the inability to carry out purposeful movements despite intact sensory and motor abilities, none of which are exhibited in this scenario.

A 79-Year-Old Woman Suffering from Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type