CDP Activities & Engagement Programming 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which validated tool is commonly used to assess activity preferences and quality of life in people with dementia?
- Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
- Observed Emotion Rating Scale (OERS) (Correct answer)
- Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)
- Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
Correct answer: Observed Emotion Rating Scale (OERS)
The OERS captures positive and negative affect during activities, helping practitioners evaluate engagement quality and emotional response.
Question 2: A practitioner wants to engage a resident who was a former teacher. Which activity most directly leverages this life role?
- Bingo games
- Leading a simple group discussion or helping peers with a task (Correct answer)
- Watching television
- Sorting objects by color
Correct answer: Leading a simple group discussion or helping peers with a task
Activities that mirror former professional roles tap into preserved procedural and long-term memories, reinforcing identity and purpose.
Question 3: What is the recommended approach when a person with dementia refuses to participate in a scheduled group activity?
- Document refusal and move on without further engagement
- Explore the reason for refusal and offer an individualized alternative (Correct answer)
- Insist participation to maintain routine
- Notify the physician immediately
Correct answer: Explore the reason for refusal and offer an individualized alternative
Refusal often signals unmet needs or a poor activity-person match; exploring alternatives respects autonomy and maintains engagement.
Question 4: In the context of dementia care, what is 'procedural memory' and why is it relevant to activities programming?
- Memory for recent events; useful for teaching new skills
- Memory for how to perform overlearned skills; often preserved longer, enabling participation in familiar tasks (Correct answer)
- Memory for names and faces; critical for social activities
- Memory for spatial navigation; useful in outdoor programming
Correct answer: Memory for how to perform overlearned skills; often preserved longer, enabling participation in familiar tasks
Procedural memory underlies habitual skills like knitting, folding, or playing simple songs and is often retained longer than episodic or semantic memory.
Question 5: Which environmental modification supports greater participation in activities for residents with dementia?
- Using fluorescent overhead lighting to maximize brightness
- Reducing background noise and providing adequate, glare-free lighting (Correct answer)
- Rearranging furniture frequently to stimulate novelty
- Playing multiple audio sources simultaneously
Correct answer: Reducing background noise and providing adequate, glare-free lighting
Reduced noise and appropriate lighting minimize sensory overload and improve attention and participation in activity settings.
Question 6: A resident with dementia shows increased vocalizations and pacing at the same time each afternoon. From an activities perspective, what is the best first response?
- Administer PRN medication
- Schedule a structured, preferred activity during that time window to preemptively address the behavior (Correct answer)
- Move the resident to a quieter room alone
- Document and wait to see if the behavior resolves
Correct answer: Schedule a structured, preferred activity during that time window to preemptively address the behavior
Proactively scheduling engaging activities during predictable behavior windows is a non-pharmacological first-line strategy.
Question 7: Which principle from the MAST (Montessori-Based Activities for Seniors with Dementia) approach is most relevant to activity design?
- Activities should be competitive to promote motivation
- Tasks should be graded to match ability, use familiar materials, and allow success (Correct answer)
- Only activities with measurable cognitive outcomes are appropriate
- Group sizes should be large to maximize social interaction
Correct answer: Tasks should be graded to match ability, use familiar materials, and allow success
Montessori-based approaches grade tasks by ability, use real-life materials, and emphasize successful engagement over outcome measurement.
CDP Activities & Engagement Programming 3
Which validated tool is commonly used to assess activity preferences and quality of life in people with dementia?