During morning care, the nursing assistant asks a patient with dementia, "How was your night?" The patient replies, "It was lovely. My husband and I went out to dinner and to a movie."
The nurse who overhears this should make the assessment that the patient is: a. demonstrating a sense of humor.
b. using confabulation.
c. perseverating.
d. delirious.
B
Confabulation is the making up of plausible stories or answers to questions in order to conceal a memory deficit. It is a defensive tactic to protect self-esteem and prevent others from noticing memory loss. The patient's response was not given facetiously, so it cannot be assessed as an attempt at humor. Perseveration refers to repeating words or behaviors over and over. Cardinal signs of delirium are not evident in this scenario.
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