The nurse is assessing a client who is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and documents that he is demonstrating bradykinesia. The nurse bases this on the observation of the client:

Question

1. Having difficulty initiating a walk to the bathroom.
2. Presenting little facial expression.
3. Maintaining his balance by holding on to the furniture.
4. Speaking both slowly and deliberately.

Answer 1

Having difficulty initiating a walk to the bathroom.

Rationale: Bradykinesia, one of the more disabling symptoms of PD, refers to slowness of movement. Parkinson's disease creates a lack of spontaneous movement that affects starting to move and actually following through on the movement. Clients with Parkinson's do talk slowly and often deliberately, but the term bradykinesia refers to slowness of movement. Postural instability refers to the balancing difficulties that result from the diminishing of the reflexes that allow a person to maintain balance. The patient will have difficulty staying balanced and may even fall when changing positions. Rigid facial muscles lead to hypomimia, or decreased facial expression, resulting in the characteristic "masked" face of a PD patient.