Dementia and Cognitive Disorders Flashcards
6 cards from real Gerontological Nurse Test practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Dementia and Cognitive Disorders flashcards as text
Validation therapy, developed by Naomi Feil, is primarily used to:
Answer: Acknowledge and communicate with patients in their own reality
Validation therapy focuses on empathetically acknowledging the feelings and subjective reality of a person with dementia rather than correcting or reorienting them.
A nurse is caring for a patient with vascular dementia. Which risk factor most directly contributes to the development of this type of dementia?
Answer: Cerebrovascular disease and multiple small strokes
Vascular dementia results from cerebrovascular disease, where reduced blood flow to the brain due to small strokes or ischemia causes progressive cognitive decline.
Which stage of the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) indicates moderate Alzheimer's disease where patients require assistance with activities of daily living?
Answer: Stage 5
GDS Stage 5 represents moderate Alzheimer's disease; patients need assistance with ADLs such as choosing appropriate clothing but can still recall their own name.
A nurse notes that a patient with dementia has been refusing meals for 3 days. The most therapeutic initial nursing action is to:
Answer: Explore potential causes such as pain, medication side effects, or depression
Identifying and addressing reversible underlying causes of decreased appetite—such as oral pain, constipation, or depression—is the priority before escalating to invasive interventions.
Which assessment tool is specifically designed to identify pain in patients with advanced dementia who cannot self-report?
Answer: PAINAD (Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia)
The PAINAD scale assesses behavioral indicators of pain—breathing, vocalization, facial expression, body language, and consolability—in patients unable to self-report.
A patient with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) exhibits disinhibited behavior and inappropriate social conduct. The nurse understands this is primarily due to:
Answer: Degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes affecting personality and behavior
FTD primarily affects the frontal and temporal lobes, which regulate behavior, personality, and social conduct, resulting in disinhibition and inappropriate social behavior.
How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy
Sources & references
Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy
- nursingworld.org — Test delivery, eligibility, exam format, test dates, time limit, score validity, passing score, score release · verified Oct 2026