A nurse working with a depressed patient used humor to lift the ...

[nummyann]

A nurse working with a depressed patient used humor to lift the patient's spirits. At one point, the patient smiled. Select the best analysis.
 
  a. Humor should be added to interventions in the plan of care.
  b. The nurse helped the patient. The technique was successful.
  c. The nurse needs supervision. The communication technique is not appropriate.
  d. The nurse identified an approach that may prove useful in other, similar situations.

Question 2

Which information would be important to incorporate when teaching about medications for dementia in a caregiver's support group? Select all that apply.
 
  a. Antipsychotic medications have been shown to be the most useful category of drugs in reducing behavioral problems in dementias.
  b. Most currently available medications slow the progress of the disease in 20 to 50 of patients but usually do not significantly improve functioning.
  c. None of the currently available medications for dementias provide a cure, and although some vitamins may be helpful, research so far is inconclusive.
  d. Certain antidepressant drugs are sometimes helpful in improving sleep, reducing irritability, and lessening anxiety.
  e. Elderly persons require more careful dosing, more monitoring, and are more sensitive to side effects, particularly when taking multiple drugs.
  f. Certain anticonvulsants seem to improve memory and judgment in the early stages of many dementias.

[canderson530]

Answer to Question 1

C
Clinical supervision will review the nurse's actions and thoughts and help the nurse arrive at a more therapeutic approach. Attempts at cheering up a depressed patient serve only to emphasize the disparity between the patient's mood and that of others. Active listening should be the technique used by the nurse. The distracters suggest the approach is therapeutic when it is not.

Answer to Question 2

B, C, D, E
No current drugs cure Alzheimer's and other primary dementias, but they may slow the progression of the disorder and in some cases may produce modest improvement in behavior and cognition. Elderly persons are more sensitive to side effects and cumulative drug effects; they require greater care and monitoring to use these medications safely. Folate, B6, B12, and other vitamins may be of some value in dementias, but the research on vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements in general is largely inconclusive. Select SSRI antidepressants may benefit sleep, irritability, and anxiety. Select antipsychotic drugs are sedating, but research does not support the notion that they improve the behavioral or cognitive dysfunctions in dementia. Select anticonvulsants may reduce aggression and emotional lability but do not help memory or judgment.