A patient diagnosed with dementia is watching a crime story on television. Suddenly, the patient begins to yell, "Stop! He's got a gun." What is the nurse's best intervention?
a. Administer a PRN dose of an atypical antipsychotic medication.
b. Turn off the television and tell the patient, "You are safe."
c. Reassure the patient that there are no guns nearby.
d. Provide a snack, and put the patient in bed.
B
Patients with cognitive deficits might be overwhelmed by stimuli and might misperceive something on television as occurring in reality. If this occurs, stimuli should be reduced to simplify the environment. The other measures would be somewhat less effective, because they do not include removing the offending stimulus (the television).
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