A nurse is caring for a client newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The client states, “I have no idea why I got this.”. What is the most important he nurse should ask this client while performing the assessment?

Choice A rationale

Respiratory therapy is primarily concerned with the treatment and management of a patient’s breathing. While swallowing difficulties can potentially lead to respiratory issues such as aspiration pneumonia, the primary role of evaluating and treating swallowing difficulties falls outside the scope of respiratory therapy.
Choice B rationale
Nutritional therapy would be involved in managing the dietary needs of a patient with Parkinson’s disease, including modifications to food texture and liquid consistency if swallowing difficulties are present. However, the evaluation and treatment of the swallowing difficulty itself would be managed by a speech therapist.
Choice C rationale
Occupational therapy could assist with adaptations to enhance the patient’s feeding skills and independence during meals. However, the specific evaluation and treatment of swallowing function is typically within the scope of a speech therapist.
Choice D rationale
Speech therapists, or speech-language pathologists, are the professionals specifically trained to evaluate and treat individuals with speech, language, voice, and swallowing disorders. This would include a patient with Parkinson’s disease experiencing difficulty swallowing.

Choice A rationale
Cushing’s Triad, which includes bradycardia (low heart rate), irregular respiration, and widened pulse pressure, is a nervous system response that could prevent brainstem ischemia. Brainstem ischemia is a condition where there is insufficient blood flow to the brainstem, which can lead to cell death.
Choice B rationale

While tachycardia (high heart rate) is a serious condition, it is not typically prevented by Cushing’s Triad.
Choice C rationale
Agonal breathing, which is characterized by gasping, labored breathing, particularly when lying flat, is not typically prevented by Cushing’s Triad.
Choice D rationale
Chest pain is not typically prevented by Cushing’s Triad. Cushing’s Triad is a response to increased intracranial pressure, not a cardiac condition.