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The nurse is planning a presentation to a group of older adults on the topic of suicide in the population. One of the group participants asks who has the highest risk of suicide. Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?
- A. Older adults who have multiple prescriptions from a variety of different pharmacies.
- B. Older adults who are experiencing a deep and profound depression.
- C. Older adult women who are divorced or widowed.
- D. Men over the age of 75 years who are divorced or widowed.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Men over 75 who are divorced or widowed have the highest suicide risk in older adults due to social isolation, loss, and gender-specific tendencies. Depression is a risk factor, but men in this demographic are particularly vulnerable. Women and polypharmacy are less specific.
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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.
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.
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.
While assessing an older adult patient for mental health issues, the nurse pays special attention to the patient?s sensory function based on the understanding of which of the following?
- A. Most older adults follow a specific pattern of decline in functioning leading to gradual onset of problems.
- B. Sensory decline may affect the individual?s ability to process information, possibly influencing the findings of the mental status examination.
- C. Diminished sensory function can lead to changes in other body systems that may affect the individual?s reaction to prescribed medications.
- D. Changes in the senses can result in changes in cognitive abilities that mimic the manifestations of mental disorders.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Sensory decline (e.g., hearing, vision) can impair information processing, affecting mental status examination results. Patterns of decline vary, sensory changes don?t directly alter other systems for medication reactions, and cognitive mimicry is possible but less primary.
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.