The spouse of a patient with advanced Alzheimer's disease confides to the nurse that the patient's wandering, pacing, and agitation seems to get worse in the evening. The nurse correctly explains this phenomenon to the spouse as
a. evening psychosis.
b. sundowner's syndrome.
c. drug toxicity.
d. new onset of psychosis.
B
Between 70% and 90% of patients with Alzheimer's disease develop wandering, pacing, agita-tion, and screaming. Symptoms may intensify in the evening, a phenomenon known as "sun-downer's syndrome."
Evening psychosis is not a phenomenon associated with Alzheimer's disease.
The phenomena reported are symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and are not related to drug toxic-ity.
New-onset psychosis is not appropriate, and the nurse could not offer that diagnosis.
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