A nurse is caring for a client who has Alzheimer's disease and is having difficulty with multitasking. Which of the following cognitive deficits is the client experiencing?

Choice A rationale Learning and memory deficits involve difficulties acquiring new information or recalling past events. While often present in Alzheimer's disease, the specific difficulty with multitasking, which requires planning and coordinating multiple cognitive processes, points to a higher-order cognitive impairment than solely learning and memory. Choice B rationale Executive function encompasses a set of higher-level cognitive processes necessary for goal-directed behavior, including planning, organizing, sequencing, problem-solving, and multitasking. Difficulty with multitasking specifically indicates an impairment in the ability to manage and coordinate multiple cognitive operations simultaneously. Choice C rationale Perceptual-motor deficits involve difficulties in integrating sensory information with motor responses, such as issues with hand-eye coordination or spatial awareness. While these can occur in Alzheimer's, multitasking primarily involves cognitive processing and planning rather than motor execution or perception. Choice D rationale Complex attention refers to the ability to sustain attention on multiple stimuli simultaneously or to switch attention efficiently between tasks. While related to multitasking, executive function more broadly describes the strategic planning and organization required to successfully execute multiple tasks.