Learning Curve 18

Akio, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, attends classes where he reads aloud and performs simple math calculations because his clinician supports the premise of this cognitive approach, which asserts that mental exercises: 1. rehabilitate parts of the brain linked to memory, reasoning, and judgment. 2. improve social skills. 3. help patients recall names. 4. rehabilitate parts of the brain that control motor skills.

1. rehabilitate parts of the brain linked to memory, reasoning, and judgment.

Cheryl's elderly grandfather is deteriorating. At first he seemed only mildly forgetful, but lately he has had trouble recalling the names of close relatives and cannot remember where he is. He used to be very loving and patient, but now he is very unpleasant and his condition is worsening. He is MOST likely experiencing: 1. stroke-induced dementia. 2. Alzheimer's disease. 3. intellectual developmental disorder. 4. delirium.

1. stroke-induced dementia.

In the past 5 years, Dr. Booker has had a large number of her elderly clients die. The vast majority of these patients had experienced episodes of delirium at one time. Based on pioneering research, which statement BEST reflects the MOST likely cause of her patients' death? 1. Delirium is an incurable disease that always leads to death within 9 to 12 months of its onset. 2. Delirium often goes undiagnosed, and thus the underlying cause can become fatal. 3. The only medications available to treat delirium have a known side effect of increasing the potential for a lethal cardiac arrhythmia. 4. Delirium is associated with rapid and significant deterioration of the cerebrum, which can quickly become fatal.

2. Delirium often goes undiagnosed, and thus the underlying cause can become fatal.

Fernanda is an 81-year-old Hispanic-American woman who has not received proper health care in years. She relies largely on family members for remedies. Which of the following is likely NOT a reason for this? 1. Medical care is too expensive, and she cannot afford it. 2. She does not believe there is anything wrong with her. 3. She speaks Spanish at home and is not comfortable having a conversation in English. 4. She does not trust the majority establishment.

2. She does not believe there is anything wrong with her.

Mona is 65 years old and has been diagnosed with delirium. Delirium is a type of: 1. psychotic disorder. 2. cognitive disorder. 3. anxiety disorder. 4. mood disorder.

2. cognitive disorder.

Greta is a 68-year-old African immigrant who does not speak English well. She has lived in the United States for 5 years with her husband. They have accumulated some savings. The BEST term observers would use to describe Greta's difficulties is: 1. ageism. 2. double jeopardy. 3. triple jeopardy. 4. single

2. double jeopardy.

The BEST term for an elderly man in a minority group is: 1. triple jeopardy. 2. double jeopardy. 3. ageism. 4. single jeopardy.

2. double jeopardy.

A 65-year-old in otherwise very good health typically will experience occasional: 1. hallucinations. 2. memory difficulties. 3. neurocognitive disorders. 4. delusions.

2. memory difficulties.

What is considered to be a kind of "triple jeopardy"? 1. Being a younger woman in a minority group. 2. Being an older woman in a majority group. 3. Being an older woman in a minority group. 4. Being an older man in a majority group.

3. Being an older woman in a minority group.

Deborah's son has noticed major disturbances in her attention and orientation to the environment. He has also noticed that she has difficulty concentrating. What is Deborah MOST likely suffering from? 1. Neurocognitive disorder 2. Alzheimer's disease 3. Delirium 4. Alcohol use disorder

3. Delirium

Dr. Keith is trying to figure out what underlying issue could be causing delirium in his elderly patient. Which of the following can he rule out? 1. Fever 2. Poor nutrition 3. Depression 4. Infection

3. Depression

Which of these illustrates a memory lapse that can be considered a normal feature of stress? 1. Forgetting one's own name 2. Forgetting one's spouse name 3. Forgetting where one parked the car 4. Being unable to recognize one's own face in the mirror

3. Forgetting where one parked the car

Drugs currently prescribed for Alzheimer's patients are designed to affect _____ and glutamate, the neurotransmitters that play important roles in memory. 1. serotonin 2. dopamine 3. acetylcholine 4. GABA

3. acetylcholine

An elderly person manifests the symptoms of delirium. A clinician can anticipate the client displaying any of these symptoms EXCEPT: 1. difficulty concentrating. 2. illusions and occasional hallucinations. 3. focused attention. 4. disorganized thinking.

3. focused attention.

In MOST cases, a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease can be made: 1. years ahead of the emergence of symptoms, if there is a family history of the disease. 2. within the first six months of the emergence of symptoms, using neuroimaging techniques like a PET scan and an fMRI. 3. only after death. 4. only after the symptoms first appear.

3. only after death.

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons for being in "triple jeopardy"? 1. Being female 2. Being in a minority group 3. Being elderly 4. Being in a majority group

4. Being in a majority group

George is an 88-year-old man who lives alone. His family wants to relocate him to a nursing home, where care will be available around the clock. George fears moving and insists on remaining in his home. Which of the following is NOT likely a reason why George fears relocating? 1. He fears living in a medical environment. 2. He fears losing independence. 3. He fears having to move. 4. He fears never seeing his family again.

4. He fears never seeing his family again.

_____ percent of people over 85 years of age experience delirium. 1. 14 2. 0.5 3. 1 4. 25

1. 14

Tom has been stuck in bed with a high fever. Unrelated to his fever, he admits to poor nutrition and overload of stress from his work. What is Tom most likely suffering from? 1. Delirium 2. Alcohol use disorder 3. Alzheimer's disease 4. Neurocognitive disorder

1. Delirium

Which is NOT among the other types of neurocognitive disorders experienced by the elderly? 1. Delusional disorder 2. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease 3. Pick's disease 4. Vascular neurocognitive disorder

1. Delusional disorder

Juanita, who is 79 years old and has major neurocognitive disorder, lives in a long-term care facility where the rooms are brightly colored and there are interactive mobiles hanging from the ceiling for her to touch. Her facility is specially designed to meet her _____ needs by providing stimulation. 1. cognitive and emotional 2. intrapersonal and social 3. entertainment and cognitive 4. social and emotional

1. cognitive and emotional

An 80-year-old hospitalized individual is recovering from surgery but now has gotten an infection. Over the course of a few days, the person shows increasing confusion, and consistently misinterprets what others are trying to communicate. The MOST probable diagnosis for this condition would be: 1. delirium. 2. Alzheimer's disease. 3. substance abuse. 4. schizophrenia.

1. delirium.

Eunice is an 81-year-old woman who lives alone. Her family wants to relocate her to a nursing home, where care will be available around the clock. Eunice fears moving and insists on remaining in her home. Which of the following is NOT likely a reason why Eunice fears relocating? 1. She fears it is too expensive. 2. She fears living in a medical environment. 3. She fears losing independence. 4. She fears that language barriers will interfere with her long-term care.

4. She fears that language barriers will interfere with her long-term care.