The nurse is caring for an older adult client who has early moderate c

QUESTION

The nurse is caring for an older adult client who has early moderate cognitive impairment and has been diagnosed with dementia. When interacting with the client’s family, the nurse should teach family members that

a. memory for recent events is retained longer than remote memory.
b. it is important to focus on recent events when asking the client questions.
c. reminiscing about the past can cause the client undue distress.
d. reminiscing about the past can be a means of connecting.

ANSWER:

ANS: D
Remote memory (recall of past events) is retained longer than memory for recent events. Family members can be encouraged to reminisce with dementia clients. This can be a meaningful experience for the family member, even when the client cannot actively engage in the discussion, because it is a means of connecting. It is not uncommon for a dementia client to show through facial expression or garbled words that he/she too experiences the connection, even if only for a fleeting moment. Or it may come later. Asking mild to early moderate cognitively impaired older adults about their past life experiences serves as a way to connect verbally with those who might have difficulty telling you what they had for breakfast 2 hours ago.