CNA Care of Cognitively Impaired Residents 1 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A resident with Alzheimer's disease repeatedly tries to leave the facility, believing she needs to pick up her children from school. What is the BEST response from the CNA?
- Tell her firmly that her children are adults now
- Redirect her by asking if she'd like to help fold laundry (Correct answer)
- Lock her in her room until the behavior stops
- Ignore the behavior and walk away
Correct answer: Redirect her by asking if she'd like to help fold laundry
Redirection is a therapeutic technique that shifts focus to a meaningful activity without confrontation.
Question 2: Which of the following behaviors is considered a common symptom of sundowning in cognitively impaired residents?
- Sleeping excessively during afternoon hours
- Increased confusion and agitation in late afternoon or evening (Correct answer)
- Improved orientation at night
- Decreased appetite only in the morning
Correct answer: Increased confusion and agitation in late afternoon or evening
Sundowning refers to increased confusion, restlessness, and agitation that typically worsens in the late afternoon and evening hours.
Question 3: A cognitively impaired resident refuses to bathe and becomes combative. What should the CNA do FIRST?
- Force the resident into the shower immediately
- Document the refusal and skip the bath entirely
- Stop, allow the resident to calm down, and try again later (Correct answer)
- Restrain the resident to complete the bath
Correct answer: Stop, allow the resident to calm down, and try again later
When a resident becomes combative, the CNA should stop the activity, ensure safety, and attempt care again when the resident is calmer.
Question 4: When communicating with a resident who has dementia, which approach is MOST effective?
- Speak loudly and quickly to keep their attention
- Use short, simple sentences and allow extra time for response (Correct answer)
- Ask multiple questions at once to gather information efficiently
- Correct all misstatements to maintain orientation
Correct answer: Use short, simple sentences and allow extra time for response
Short, simple sentences and extra response time reduce confusion and improve comprehension for residents with dementia.
Question 5: A resident with dementia is hoarding food in her room. What should the CNA do?
- Remove all food and scold the resident
- Report it to the nurse and monitor for food safety concerns (Correct answer)
- Ignore the behavior since it is harmless
- Restrict meal privileges to stop the behavior
Correct answer: Report it to the nurse and monitor for food safety concerns
Hoarding is a common dementia behavior; the CNA should report it to the nurse so food safety and nutritional needs can be addressed.
Question 6: Which of the following statements about validation therapy for dementia residents is CORRECT?
- It involves correcting false beliefs to reorient the resident
- It acknowledges the resident's feelings without arguing about reality (Correct answer)
- It is only used for residents in early-stage dementia
- It requires formal certification before CNAs can apply it
Correct answer: It acknowledges the resident's feelings without arguing about reality
Validation therapy acknowledges the emotional reality of the resident's experience rather than correcting factual errors.
Question 7: A resident with Alzheimer's disease calls the CNA by the wrong name and believes the CNA is a family member. The BEST response is to:
- Firmly correct the resident every time this happens
- Play along and use the family member role to provide comfort (Correct answer)
- Refuse to respond until the resident uses the correct name
- Document the confusion and avoid interacting with the resident
Correct answer: Play along and use the family member role to provide comfort
Using the resident's frame of reference and providing comfort is therapeutic when correcting the misidentification causes distress.
CNA Care of Cognitively Impaired Residents 1 3
A resident with Alzheimer's disease repeatedly tries to leave the facility, believing she needs to pick up her children from school.
What is the BEST response from the CNA?