A patient diagnosed with dementia is becoming increasingly unable to express complete thoughts and is having difficulty engaging in simple conversations. When communicating with this patient, the nurse should implement what intervention to help maintain communication skills

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Instead of using abstract prompts (like a specific time), the nurse should use words directly applicable to the patient's daily routine, like "before lunch," can anchor the patient's recognition of time frames better than saving a specific time, such as 11 a.m. The nurse should restate ideas using the same words and sequence and validate the meaning of a patient's response. As dementia progresses, patients become increasingly unable to express complete thoughts and eventually cannot carry on even simple conversations. The nurse should use plain language and simple questions that can be answered with a yes or no for patients with less verbal skill. The nurse should note whether the patient's behavior is consistent with the yes or no answer and follow up if the behavior is incongruent with the words.

A Patient Diagnosed with Dementia Is Becoming Increasingly Unable to Express