Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Practice Exam

A resident of a nursing home has a diagnosis of dementia, and in recent weeks has become unable to walk or sit independently. This resident is likely at which stage of dementia?

1. Late

2. Mild

3. Moderate

4. Severe

The correct answer is: Late

The correct response is late-stage dementia. In this stage, individuals often experience significant cognitive decline that severely impacts their physical abilities, including mobility. Those with late-stage dementia may lose the ability to walk, sit up, or perform basic daily activities independently, and they often require extensive assistance. While mild and moderate stages of dementia involve cognitive impairment, individuals in these stages typically retain some level of mobility and may still perform certain tasks with varying degrees of assistance. Severe dementia is often used interchangeably with late-stage dementia but can carry a different emphasis, particularly in contexts focusing on the very end of the disease process. Thus, as the resident has developed considerable physical limitations and a greater dependency on caregivers, it aligns with the characteristics of late-stage dementia.