Gerontology Pre-Test

1. A home health nurse has visited an 88-year-old with mild forgetfulness. Which discovery is the most concerning?

• The client's son uses a marked pillbox to set up the client's medications weekly.
• During the day, the patient is left alone for four (4) hours.
• The client tells the nurse that a close friend recently died.
• The client has lost 10 lbs (4.5 kg) during the last month.

2. In addition to collecting data regarding current health status, health history, and family history, the nurse understands performing a functional assessment is important to:

• Increase the speed at which you can discharge clients because you are maintaining their routine.
• Identify any areas with deficits to personalize care and promote their wellness.
• Make clients more comfortable during their hospital stays because it will add familiarity.
• Allow the client to feel like they have some control in this situation.

3. There are five major components of a comprehensive nursing assessment for an older adult client. These include psychological, physical, functional, and which additional areas? Select all that apply:

• Social
• Financial
• Family
• Spiritual

4.  Your 87-year-old female client who was previously diagnosed with a chronic cognitive impairment disorder is brought to see you by her daughter. She tells you that the client’s constant confusion, incontinence, and tendency to wander are starting to become intolerable. Which nursing diagnosis is most appropriate for the client’s daughter?

• Risk for other-directed violence
• Disturbed sleep pattern
• Social isolation
• Caregiver role strain

5. A nurse is taking care of a client who is dying of ovarian cancer. During the subjective assessment, the client says, "If I can just live long enough to celebrate my son’s wedding, I'll be ready to die." The nurse recognizes the client is expressing:

• Bargaining
• Anger
• Depression
• Denial

6. When caring for a chronically ill older adult, the nurse understands it is important to:

• Assure the client that the condition is stable.
• Treat the client as a competent manager of the disease.
• Avoid discussing future lifestyle changes.
• Encourage the client to fight the disease as long as possible.

7. Older adults often face many barriers in access to health care. As a nurse, you understand that one of the barriers to care can lead to the following issue:

• An older adult may hate sitting through long clinic appointments.
• An older adult may think their complaints are a normal part of aging.
• An older adult may feel like they want to be left alone.
• An older adult may suffer from poor health literacy.

8. There are several risk factors that can lead to polypharmacy in older adults. The nurse understands these barriers can lead to which of the following issues?

• Healthcare providers not coordinating medication regimes.
• Medications being updated in medical records on a regular basis.
• Older adults reliably taking medications as prescribed.
• Older adults using medication schedules to provide structure to their days.