Title: Describe the characteristics of cognitive impairment.
Course: Nurse Aide I (14051-I) > Section: Communicating in the Healthcare Environment

Description should include the concept that a client’s/resident’s/patient’s cognitive conditions will change over time and may include impairments indicated by

- memory problems, trouble expressing oneself, not finding the right words to say
- difficulty with being in new places
- not knowing where one is
- difficulty making decisions
- confusion and inability to use logic
- difficulty focusing for long
- losing a train of thought easily.

Refer to Unit II in Nurse Aide Curriculum, Virginia Board of Nursing, Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2023.

Process/Skill Questions:

- Why is it important to give someone with a cognitive impairment additional time to ask and answer questions?
- Why is it important to refrain from “leading” or finishing a client’s/resident’s/patient’s sentence?
- Why is patience especially important when caring for a client with a cognitive impairment?