NURS 243 A Walk Through Dementia Scenario Questions
Scenario #1 Questions:
Please answer the following questions after watching the video titled, “A Walk Through
Dementia – At the Supermarket”
1. How would you describe Martha’s mental state during her time in the grocery store. Be
specific.
Confused. Very very confused. She gets frightened, forgetful, frustrated but mainly just
lost. Jumps from thought to thought.
2. What are some audio and visual stimuli in the grocery store that may be overwhelming
for a person with dementia? Any signs can be confusing. Sounds such as an intercom can
easily interrupt her thought process, other shoppers. Sounds such as the cash register
opening, the card reader beeping, the carts clinking together when they get put back.
3. You are the mental health nurse educating employees of the grocery store about how to
communicate with customers that have dementia. After observing the cashier’s
communication with Martha, what changes would you recommend and why? Yes, she
could clearly see that she was in distress but instead of offering to help her look through
her money to find the correct amount or finding the person she was with, she just asked
her to step aside.
Scenario #2 Questions:
Please answer the following questions after watching the video titled, “A Walk Through
Dementia – A Walk Home”
1. As Martha’s mental health nurse, what safety concerns do you have after watching this
video? Be specific.
The safety concerns I would have for Martha is that she should never be left alone.
Especially outside. She could easily wander off just like this video showed. She would be
in danger when trying to cross the st, remembering where she lived and being able to
get up the stairs. She is also in danger of running into the wrong people who could
possibly take advantage of her. She easily mistook a person on the st as her son instead
of her actual son, which shows the levels of dementia she already has. She forgot where
she lived even though she knew of some landmarks like the ugly car. She could be
wandering around for hours or even days alone.
2. Describe how Martha was feeling after she wandered away from Joe.
Very lost, frightened and confused. She thought she knew a short-cut and then realized it didn’t
even lead to her house. She got scared because she was alone even though she left by herself.
She kept looking for her son for his guidance and support and she could not find him.
3. Joe is Martha’s primary caregiver. He also has a demanding job as a manager of a local
printing shop. Joe does not have paid leave at his job and must be available to answer
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work calls when he is accompanying his mother on shopping trips. At Martha’s next visit
with the mental health nurse, Joe tells you about his recent walk home with his mother.
He says, “I briefly lost my mother when walking home from the grocery store last week!
It happened when one of my employees called me with a problem at the printing shop
and I got distracted. I know I am a horrible son for letting that happen. I am so
overwhelmed juggling my work and caregiving responsibilities. I just don’t know what to
do!” Describe how the caregiver role is affecting Joe’s mental health, and discuss how
you would respond to Joe. Be specific.
In this situation, Joe is verbalizing how stressed he is having to take on both roles of
manager and caregiver. He has guilt over not being there for his mother as well as having
distractions away from his work that he feels he should prioritize. As a mental health
nurse, you could suggest resources such as a skilled nursing facility or a caretaker who
could come to take of this mother. At this stage in Martha’s dementia, I believe a skilled
nursing facility would be the best option because she poses a danger to herself even in
her own home.
Scenario #3 Questions:
Please answer the following questions after watching the video titled, “A Walk Through
Dementia – At Home”
1. As Martha’s mental health nurse, what safety concerns do you have after watching this
video? Be specific. The first one I noticed from her home was the stairs she needed to
get up. She mentioned that she thought it might be too much to go up to the stairs. The
second major risk I saw was unknowingly injuring herself. She couldn’t remember a
simple drink order. If she had walked away from the kettle she may had not even
remembered her kettle was on. This poses a serious fire threat. Say she forgot the water
was running and went to sit down and watch T.V- she could forget for hours and cause
water damage in her home, as well as create a fall risk for herself. She could easily forget
if she ate or not and end up being malnourished etc.
2. Laura comes over to her mother’s house every Saturday for tea. While driving over,
Laura always calls her mother with her tea request. Based on what you observed during
the simulation, what changes to this routine would you recommend and why?
I would have a notepad and a pen near at all times for Martha had she not gone to a skilled
nursing facility. I would also have the daughter prepare the tea for everyone and not put that
task on Martha. I feel as if people notice when someone starts to forget and the daughter
should have noticed and recognized that giving her mother a drink order may be difficult for her.
She could have asked her to write it down or she could have done it herself.
3. Dementia can impact the mental health and well-being of the patient and their families.
As the mental health nurse, what are some resources that you would recommend for
Martha and her family? Be specific.
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Again the skilled nursing facility is an option. Having a service to come and help her mom
with routine activities, such as an in-home caretaker or errands runner would be helpful.
They could rely on family and friends to join in to help support Martha is they were
unable to get her into a skilled nursing facility. Ultimatley though, I think she should be a
permanent resident in a facility that could help her around the clock.
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