A wife explained to the nurse that her husband was becoming awfully fo

A wife explained to the nurse that her husband was becoming awfully forgetful, and now he’s started getting lost on the way home from the golf club. She’s scared he may be getting Alzheimer’s disease.

Which of the following would be most appropriate action for the nurse to take?a.
Ask the husband to explain why he thinks he got lost coming home
b.
Explain that all elderly persons get a little forgetful and not to worry
c.
Ask the husband to count backwards by 7 from 100
d.
Hand the husband pencil and paper and ask him to draw a clock

ESSAYBID ANSWER

ANS: D
Clients with Alzheimer’s disease are unable to draw a normal clock. As a test for Alzheimer’s disease, clock drawing had a sensitivity of 86.7% and a specificity of 92.7%. The clock drawing test is an easily administered, low-cost screening tool, which is useful. This should be the first action taken by the nurse to screen the client for Alzheimer’s disease and take appropriate action as necessary.