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A nursing instructor is preparing for a class discussion on polypharmacy and older adults. Which of the following would the instructor expect to include?
- A. The risk for drug abuse, although present, is fairly rare in this population.
- B. Older adults often experience a greater risk for adverse reactions.
- C. Medications are usually prescribed in higher doses initially and then gradually reduced.
- D. Age-related pharmacokinetic changes enhance the drug?s therapeutic effectiveness.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Older adults face a greater risk for adverse drug reactions due to age-related changes in metabolism and excretion. Drug abuse is rare, doses are typically lower, not higher, and pharmacokinetic changes often reduce, not enhance, effectiveness.
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After checking a patient?s blood pressure, he asks the nurse what changes he should expect in himself as he grows older. Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?
- A. You don?t have anything to worry about; you will basically stay the same.
- B. Your personality will stay the same, but your intelligence level will lessen somewhat.
- C. Usually, you can anticipate that you will begin to react to things more slowly.
- D. You will become increasingly childlike, and your personality will change.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Older adults typically experience slower reaction times due to age-related cognitive and neurological changes. Personality and intelligence remain relatively stable, and becoming childlike is not a normal aging process.
While assessing an older adult, the nurse allows ample time for the patient to respond based on the understanding of which of the following?
- A. Ample time ensures that the correct answer is given.
- B. The patient is most likely experiencing irreversible memory impairment.
- C. The patient is experiencing decreased cerebral oxygen flow from reduced activity.
- D. Ample time is needed to weigh the pros and cons of the perceived risk for answering.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Older adults may have slower processing due to decreased cerebral oxygen flow from age-related circulatory changes, necessitating ample response time. Ensuring correct answers, assuming irreversible impairment, or weighing risks are less relevant.
A nurse is reviewing the medical records of several older adult patients. The nurse determines that which individual would have the least chance of developing mental health problems with aging?
- A. A man who is single, has an eighth grade education, and walks to the mailbox and back every day
- B. A woman who is married with graduate education, eats nutritionally balanced meals, and exercises for 20 minutes each day
- C. A man who is married, has a high school education, eats mostly fast food, and walks a mile each day
- D. A woman who is single, has a college degree and watches what she eats but really does not exercise
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The married woman with graduate education, balanced diet, and regular exercise has protective factors (education, social support, healthy lifestyle) reducing mental health risks. The others have risk factors like lower education, poor diet, or minimal exercise.
A nurse is developing a plan for establishing appropriate supportive community care services for older adults to promote independence. Which services would the nurse be most likely to include? Select all that apply.
- A. Transportation
- B. Homemakers
- C. Legal
- D. Housing
- E. Child care
Correct Answer: A,B,C,D
Rationale: Supportive services for older adults to promote independence include transportation (A), homemakers (B), legal services (C), and housing (D), addressing mobility, daily tasks, legal needs, and living arrangements. Child care (E) is irrelevant for most older adults.
A group of nursing students is reviewing risk and protective factors associated for mental disorders in the older adult population. The students demonstrate understanding of the information when they identify which of the following as a protective factor?
- A. Poverty
- B. Education
- C. Loss
- D. Chronic illness
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Education is a protective factor for mental health in older adults, promoting cognitive reserve and coping skills. Poverty, loss, and chronic illness are risk factors, increasing vulnerability to mental disorders.