Based on this information, what is your most likely diagnosis?
A 70-year-old retired auto mechanic comes to your office because his neighbor is concerned about his memory. The patient himself admits to misplacing his keys more often and forgets what he is supposed to buy from the grocery store and where he has parked the car. He denies getting lost in familiar places. Upon further questioning, he states that his wife of 40 years died 8 months ago; his three children live in three different states; and he has limited his activities because the people he interacted with were “his wife's friends, not his.” He drinks a six-pack of beer daily; he does not smoke or use illicit drugs. You perform a mini-mental state examination and obtain a total score of 24 out of 28.
A) Benign forgetfulness
B) Dementia
C) Meningitis
D) Depression
D) Depression
The patient has symptoms of depression: His wife died, he has no real social support system, and he has isolated himself from his usual activities. He also drinks a considerable amount of alcohol on a daily basis, which can further depress his mood. Depression can masquerade as dementia in the elderly and must be considered in a patient with memory loss.
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An older adult woman is brought to the emergency department after being found lying on the kitchen floor for 2 days; she is extremely dehydrated. What would the nurse expect to see during the examination?
a. Smooth mucous membranes and lips b. Dry mucous membranes and cracked lips c. Pale mucous membranes d. White patches on the mucous membranes
Why is it advantageous for a live person to be a liver donor?
a. Because the donor is not at risk for any complication b. Because the recipient is more likely to avoid rejection c. Because the donor donates only a part of the liver d. Because the blood supply is more dependable in the donated liver
A patient has received an accidental overdose of intravenous atropine. Which drug will the nurse prepare to administer?
a. Atenolol (Tenormin) b. Bethanechol (Urecholine) c. Dicyclomine (Bentyl) d. Physostigmine (Antilirium)
Moral distress among critical care nurses is associated with: Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply
1. Having no voice in clinical decision making 2. Providing aggressive care to patients who cannot benefit 3. Realizing that nurses maintain power in bedside decision making 4. Knowing the right thing to do but not being able to do it 5. Leaving employment as a critical care nurse