DNP 671 Module 7 Older Adults and Psychosis Post Example

Course	DNP 671 Advanced Mental Health Assessment Across the Lifespan
Module	Module 7
Paper type	Discussion board post and reply
Length	About 371 words
Format	Discussion post with APA 7 citations
School	Arizona State University
Program	Doctor of Nursing Practice
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for DNP 671 Module 7

Week 10 Discussion: Older Adults, Delirium and Psychosis

Slower, Louder and Never Argue: Challenges in Interviewing Older Adults and Patients With Psychosis

Initial Post

Older adults. The first challenges are practical: hearing loss, poor vision and slower processing. I will need to face the patient, speak clearly and lower my pitch rather than shout, allow extra time and check that glasses and hearing aids are in place. The more serious challenge is delirium. An older adult who seems confused may have dementia, delirium or both, and delirium is a medical emergency often caused by infection, medications or dehydration. The Confusion Assessment Method asks whether confusion began suddenly and waxes and wanes, whether attention is impaired, and whether thinking is disorganized or alertness changed, and showed high sensitivity and specificity against expert diagnosis in its original validation (Inouye et al., 1990). Asking a family member whether the confusion is new is often the most useful question.

Patients with psychotic symptoms. A patient who feels watched or targeted may distrust me, and a patient with disorganized thinking may give answers that are hard to follow. Shea (2017) advises neither agreeing with nor arguing against delusions, but exploring the patient's experience and the distress it causes. I expect to feel the urge to correct a false belief; that usually increases mistrust. Short, clear questions, a calm tone and attention to safety help. Diagnostic criteria for psychotic disorders depend on the type and duration of symptoms, so careful history matters (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). I also need to ask about command hallucinations and thoughts of harming self or others.

Both groups share a risk: being talked over. Older adults are often addressed through their children, and people with psychosis through staff. Speaking to the patient first, even when information also comes from others, preserves dignity and often yields more.

Question for the group: how do you explore a delusion without seeming to agree with it?

What this page is doingThe post pairs each population's challenges with specific techniques and a validated tool, and ends on a shared ethical point about dignity, which gives the discussion depth beyond a list of tips.

Reply to a Classmate (Capacity)

You asked how to judge whether a patient with dementia can decide about treatment. Capacity belongs to each decision, not to the person overall; someone might choose a meal competently yet be unable to weigh surgery, so I would assess understanding, appreciation, reasoning and the ability to express a choice for that decision.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Inouye, S. K., van Dyck, C. H., Alessi, C. A., Balkin, S., Siegal, A. P., & Horwitz, R. I. (1990). Clarifying confusion: The Confusion Assessment Method. A new method for detection of delirium. Annals of Internal Medicine, 113(12), 941-948. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-113-12-941

Shea, S. C. (2017). Psychiatric interviewing: The art of understanding (3rd ed.). Elsevier.

DNP 671 Module 7 instructions, in plain terms

Week 10 of the course covers assessing cognitive dysfunction, delirium and psychosis, with DSM criteria for dementia, chapters from Cepeda and Shea, a video and optional articles. The board asks you to discuss challenges in interviewing older adults and challenges in interviewing patients with psychotic symptoms. Canvas holds the dates and rubric. Expect to address both populations, naming practical and clinical challenges for each and describing approaches that help, such as accommodating sensory loss, screening for delirium and responding to delusions without arguing. Delirium deserves particular attention because it is common, serious and easily mistaken for dementia. Safety questions belong in any discussion of psychosis.

How this DNP 671 Module 7 example is built

The post addresses older adults first, starting with sensory and processing challenges and practical fixes, then moving to the risk of missing delirium, with the Confusion Assessment Method's features and validation and the value of asking family whether confusion is new. The psychosis section describes paranoia and disorganized thinking, advice from the interviewing text not to argue with delusions and the need to ask about command hallucinations and harm. A paragraph draws a shared point about speaking to the patient first. The post ends with a question, and the reply explains decision-specific capacity. Three sources support it. The tool's four features are named so readers can recall them. The reply on capacity adds an ethical point to a clinical discussion. Practical techniques sit beside the screening tool.

Reading the DNP 671 Module 7 grading rubric

Discussions on this topic are likely graded on realistic challenges for both populations, practical and evidence-based approaches, attention to delirium and safety, respectful communication and a reply to a peer. Faculty favor posts that distinguish delirium from dementia and name a validated screening method. Advice on responding to delusions should reflect the interviewing literature. Including safety questions in psychosis shows clinical responsibility. A point about dignity or autonomy adds ethical depth. Replies that clarify concepts such as capacity contribute to the group's understanding. Faculty may also look for an approach that keeps the patient, not the family, at the center of the interview. Respectful language toward both groups of patients matters throughout.

DNP 671 Module 7 help: mistakes that cost marks

A frequent slip is labeling an older adult's confusion as dementia without considering delirium. Always ask whether it is new and fluctuating. Another is advising to correct delusions; explore the experience instead. Include safety questions for psychosis. The desk can build this post from an older adult or a patient with psychosis you have met, if you outline the visit anonymously. Memorize the delirium screen's four criteria before your next clinical day. Practice one way to acknowledge a delusion's distress without agreeing with it. Prepare a short script for redirecting a patient who becomes paranoid during questions.

Write yours, or have the desk draft it

This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

More DNP 671 and Doctor of Nursing Practice sample papers

DNP 671 Module 7 questions, answered

Where can I find a free DNP 671 Module 7 sample paper?

The page opens with a complete DNP 671 Week 10 post on interviewing older adults, screening for delirium and talking with patients who have psychosis.

How do you tell delirium from dementia?

Delirium usually starts suddenly, fluctuates and impairs attention, often from a medical cause; asking family whether confusion is new is key.

What is the Confusion Assessment Method?

It is a quick bedside screen for delirium built on four criteria about onset and fluctuation, attention, thinking and alertness.

Should you argue with a patient's delusion?

No. Explore the experience and the distress it causes without agreeing or arguing.

What is decision-specific capacity?

The idea that a person may be able to make some decisions but not others, assessed for each decision separately.

DNP 671 Module 7 Discussion: Interviewing Older Adults and Patients With Psychosis Example