CDP Communication Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The SBAR communication framework is used in dementia care primarily to:
- Structure conversations directly with residents
- Communicate clinical information clearly between care team members (Correct answer)
- Train family members in communication techniques
- Document behavioral changes in the medical record
Correct answer: Communicate clinical information clearly between care team members
SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) standardizes hand-off communication between healthcare providers.
Question 2: A person with dementia refuses to take their medication. The BEST communication approach is to:
- State firmly that it is required and non-negotiable
- Offer a short, simple explanation, allow time to process, and try again later if needed (Correct answer)
- Crush the medication secretly in food without consent
- Immediately document refusal and take no further action
Correct answer: Offer a short, simple explanation, allow time to process, and try again later if needed
Allowing processing time and returning later respects autonomy and is often more effective than confrontation.
Question 3: Which environmental modification BEST supports effective communication with a person with dementia?
- Bright fluorescent overhead lighting
- Reducing background noise and distractions (Correct answer)
- Playing lively upbeat music throughout interactions
- Seating the person facing a window with outdoor activity
Correct answer: Reducing background noise and distractions
Reducing auditory and visual distractions allows the person to focus on the communication partner.
Question 4: When a person with dementia tells an untrue story about their past, the care partner should:
- Gently correct the inaccuracies with documented facts
- Explore the emotional theme of the story and engage with it (Correct answer)
- Change the subject to prevent further confusion
- Record the statements as possible delusions
Correct answer: Explore the emotional theme of the story and engage with it
Engaging with the emotional content of stories honors the person's narrative identity even when facts are inaccurate.
Question 5: Elderspeak is problematic in dementia care because it:
- Uses vocabulary that is too complex for the person to understand
- Conveys a lack of respect and can cause resistiveness (Correct answer)
- Increases vocal volume unnecessarily
- Relies too heavily on medical terminology
Correct answer: Conveys a lack of respect and can cause resistiveness
Elderspeak—infantilizing, high-pitched, simplified speech—undermines dignity and is associated with increased behavioral resistance.
Question 6: The primary goal of validation therapy, developed by Naomi Feil, is to:
- Help the person distinguish reality from confusion
- Acknowledge and validate the person's emotions and inner reality (Correct answer)
- Teach caregivers to distract from distressing topics
- Reorient the person to time, place, and person
Correct answer: Acknowledge and validate the person's emotions and inner reality
Validation therapy focuses on empathically acknowledging the emotional reality of the person rather than correcting or reorienting them.
Question 7: When giving care instructions to a person with dementia, breaking tasks into single steps is effective because:
- It allows the care partner to work more quickly
- It reduces the cognitive load required to process multi-step sequences (Correct answer)
- It helps document the time each task requires
- It prevents the person from making any independent decisions
Correct answer: It reduces the cognitive load required to process multi-step sequences
Sequential memory impairment makes multi-step instructions overwhelming; one-step cues match the person's processing capacity.
CDP Communication Techniques 3
The SBAR communication framework is used in dementia care primarily to: