ACC Communication and Person-Centered Care 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which nonverbal communication channel carries the most weight when interacting with a person in late-stage Alzheimer's?
- The content of spoken words
- Written messages and signs
- Touch, tone of voice, and facial expression (Correct answer)
- Hand gestures alone
Correct answer: Touch, tone of voice, and facial expression
As verbal comprehension declines, nonverbal cues — warmth in touch, a calm voice, and a gentle expression — remain meaningful.
Question 2: Life history books and reminiscence materials are used in person-centered care primarily to:
- Test the person's memory of past events
- Provide staff with topics for meaningful conversation and connection (Correct answer)
- Prove to families that care is being documented
- Replace formal cognitive assessments
Correct answer: Provide staff with topics for meaningful conversation and connection
Life history tools give caregivers a foundation for personalized, meaningful conversations that affirm identity.
Question 3: A person with Alzheimer's refuses to take a bath. The most person-centered strategy is to:
- Force bathing immediately for hygiene and safety
- Document refusal and skip bathing indefinitely
- Explore preferred bathing time, temperature, and routine from the person's past (Correct answer)
- Notify the physician that the person is non-compliant
Correct answer: Explore preferred bathing time, temperature, and routine from the person's past
Adapting the bathing routine to the person's lifelong preferences and sensory sensitivities reduces resistance.
Question 4: When a person with Alzheimer's accuses a caregiver of stealing, the caregiver should first:
- Argue and present evidence that nothing was stolen
- Apologize profusely and offer to pay for the item
- Respond calmly, help search for the missing item, and avoid defensiveness (Correct answer)
- Report the accusation to administration immediately as a misconduct claim
Correct answer: Respond calmly, help search for the missing item, and avoid defensiveness
Staying calm, helping to search, and not taking accusations personally defuses the situation and preserves trust.
Question 5: Eye contact during communication with a person who has Alzheimer's should be:
- Avoided to prevent causing distress
- Maintained at eye level to convey respect and attention (Correct answer)
- Limited to once at the start of the conversation
- Replaced entirely with touch to compensate
Correct answer: Maintained at eye level to convey respect and attention
Getting to eye level and maintaining gentle eye contact signals presence and helps the person focus on the interaction.
Question 6: Which approach best supports autonomy for a person with moderate Alzheimer's during mealtimes?
- Spoon-feeding all meals to ensure adequate nutrition
- Offering two simple food choices rather than open-ended decisions (Correct answer)
- Providing a full menu and expecting the person to choose independently
- Removing all choices to reduce confusion
Correct answer: Offering two simple food choices rather than open-ended decisions
Offering two simple options preserves decision-making dignity while remaining within the person's cognitive capacity.
Question 7: A caregiver is told to use the DICE approach when a person with dementia exhibits challenging behavior. The 'D' stands for:
- Distraction — redirect immediately to a new activity
- Describe — document what happened, who was present, and what preceded the behavior (Correct answer)
- Diagnose — identify the medical cause before intervening
- Detain — keep the person safe by limiting movement
Correct answer: Describe — document what happened, who was present, and what preceded the behavior
In the DICE framework (Describe, Investigate, Create, Evaluate), Describe means documenting the specific behavior and context in detail.
ACC Communication and Person-Centered Care 3
Which nonverbal communication channel carries the most weight when interacting with a person in late-stage Alzheimer's?