Question

On a 24-hour assessment, the nurse documents that a client diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease presents with aphasia. Which client behavior supports this finding?

A. The client is sad and has no ability to experience pleasure.
B. The client is extremely emaciated and appears to be wasting away.
C. The client is having difficulty forming words.
D. The client is no longer able to speak.

Answer 1

The symptom of aphasia in a client with Alzheimer's disease, which involves difficulty with language, supports the observed behavior of having difficulty forming words.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a nurse documents that a client diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease presents with aphasia, the client behavior that supports this finding is C. The client is having difficulty forming words. Aphasia in the context of Alzheimer's involves damage to areas of the brain responsible for language abilities. As the disease progresses, there can be loss of the ability to understand or produce language, which is seen in both difficulty forming words and in the severe stage, the loss of the ability to speak. The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease typically include disruptive memory loss, confusion about time or place, difficulty planning or executing tasks, poor judgment, and personality changes. Receptive aphasia is a particular type of aphasia where there is a loss of the ability to understand received language, such as what is spoken to the subject or given in written form.