The nurse is caring for a patient with expressive aphasia from a traumatic brain injury. Which goal will the nurse include in the plan of care?

A) Patient will carry a pen and a pad of paper around for communication.
B) Patient will recover full use of speech vocabulary in 1 day.
C) Patient will thicken drinks to prevent aspiration.
D) Patient will communicate nonverbally.

Expressive aphasia, a motor type of aphasia, is the inability to name common objects or express simple ideas in words or writing. To adapt to expressive aphasia, the nurse and the patient need to work on ways to communicate nonverbally through means such as pointing and gestures. Goals and outcomes need to be realistic and measurable; recovery in 1 day is not realistic. A patient who has expressive aphasia may not be able to speak or write words with a pen and paper. Thickening drinks prevents aspiration risk and is not included in a plan of care for this patient.