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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.
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A group of nursing students is reviewing information about the course of aging in future older adults and qualities that contribute to successful aging. The students demonstrate understanding of this information when they identify which of the following as least important?
- A. Capacity to adapt to change
- B. Engagement in life
- C. Stability with reliable social support
- D. Physical health
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: While physical health is important, successful aging relies more on adaptability, engagement, and social support, as these psychosocial factors often outweigh physical limitations in promoting well-being. Physical health is less critical in defining successful aging.
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.
The nurse is working with a patient whose mobility is impaired secondary to a fall that resulted in a broken hip. In addition, the patient, who has diabetes, is developing problems with vision and hearing. The patient seems increasingly withdrawn and depressed. The nurse determines that the patient is at risk for spiritual distress. Which intervention would be most appropriate?
- A. Encourage the patient to talk about significant childhood religious experiences.
- B. Offer to take the patient to a revival the nurse?s church is holding in the community.
- C. Read to the patient Bible passages that seem particularly relevant to the patient?s case.
- D. Explore what the mobility, sight, and hearing changes mean to the patient.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Exploring the meaning of the patient?s losses addresses spiritual distress by focusing on their personal values and coping, which is patient-centered. Religious interventions (A, B, C) may not align with the patient?s beliefs and could be inappropriate.
The nurse is preparing to assess a 78-year-old patient who has been diagnosed with major depression. Which of the following would the nurse expect to assess as a normal finding?
- A. Decrease in body fat
- B. Increased muscle mass
- C. Dulled taste sensation
- D. Enhanced visual acuity
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Dulled taste sensation is a normal age-related change in older adults due to reduced sensory function. Decreased body fat and increased muscle mass are not typical, and visual acuity typically declines, not enhances, with age.
A nurse is reviewing the medical records of several older adult patients who have come to the clinic for evaluation. The nurse would classify a patient of which age as being in the middle-old stage?
- A. 66-year-old adult
- B. 70-year-old adult
- C. 78-year-old adult
- D. 86-year-old adult
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The middle-old stage typically spans ages 75?84. A 78-year-old fits this category, while 66 and 70 are young-old, and 86 is old-old.