The children of a resident of a nursing home have approached the nurse because they believe their parent is being manipulated by a person who also lives in the facility

Question

Their parent has a diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer disease and various comorbidities that affect mobility and function. How should the care team appraise the parent's decision-making capacity?

A) Her decision-making ability is nullified by the presence of a dementia.
B) Her decision-making capacity should be determined according to objective criteria.
C) She should be asked to demonstrate sound decision making in minor matter before being allowed to make more important decisions.
D) A surrogate should be appointed to make her decisions because she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer disease.

Answer 1

Ans: B
The presence of dementia does not necessarily render a person incapable of all decision-making ability. Rather, this ability should be analyzed according to criteria of understanding, reasoning, choice, and expression.