CHAPTER 19: THE OLDER CLIENT

CHAPTER 19: THE OLDER CLIENT

Complete Chapter Questions With Answers

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. The nurse is planning the care for an elderly client. Care should be focused on how to do which of the following?

ANS:  B

The present challenge with the care of the older client is not adding years to one’s life but rather to improve the quality of an extended life span. There is no way to reverse the aging process. Increasing the number of nursing homes is not a viable option.

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Analysis         REF:   Introduction

2. An elderly client tells the nurse that she realizes that as she ages, her body parts and organs are just going to “wear out” and she will die. This client is describing which theory of aging?

ANS:  B

There are four biological theories of aging. The client is describing the cross-linkage theory that describes the deterioration of tissues and organs as the cause of loss of flexibility and functional mobility that occurs with aging. With the stress theory, the belief is that irreversible structural and chemical changes occur in the body as a result of stress throughout the life span, and that individuals must learn to adapt to these changes. In somatic mutation, the belief is that unrepaired changes in the DNA leads to the replication of mutated cells, which causes a loss of cellular functioning and decreased organ efficiency. The programmed aging theory states that life span is determined by heredity and that an internal genetic clock is responsible for the rate a person dies.

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Analysis         REF:   Theories of Aging

3. The nurse is assessing an elderly client. Which of the following is not considered a normal change associated with aging?

ANS:  A

Changes normally associated with aging include a deterioration of neurons, increased rigidity of connective tissue, and a decrease in functional capacity. Cell mitosis decreases, not increases, with aging.

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Analysis         REF:   Physiological Changes

4. The nurse is assessing a 78-year-old client. Which finding would be of concern to the nurse because it is NOT a normal finding in an aging person?

ANS:  B

Normal assessment findings in an older client include a decreased ability to see colors as pastels fade. When aging, taste perception declines so there is a tendency to use more sugar and salt to make food taste better. Olfactory cells decrease in number so there is a decrease in the sense of smell. Blurred vision is not a normal age-related finding and should be reported to the physician.

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Application    REF:   Physiological Changes

5. An elderly client tells the nurse he has noticed more difficulty in hearing over the past several years. The nurse realizes this client is describing:

ANS:  B

Presbycusis is the hearing loss associated with old age. Presbyopia is a type of vision change. Lentigo senilis are brown pigmentation areas on the face, hands, and arms of older people. Kyphosis is a stooped posture due to bone demineralization of the vertebral column.

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Application    REF:   Physiological Changes