Author Question: Which describes the nurse's role for an older patient with a chronic illness? a. Implement an ... (Read 36 times)

audragclark · **on:** Jul 11, 2018

Which describes the nurse's role for an older patient with a chronic illness?

a. Implement an individualized therapeutic regimen that brings about a cure.
b. Provide caring to help the patient live at the optimal level of health and wellness.
c. Suggest that the patient accept eventual death to reduce burdens on the patient's family.
d. Encourage the patient to minimize the utilization of services to control costs.

Question 2

An older woman had hip replacement surgery 1 day ago, and the nurse thinks that the woman also has dementia. Which patient assessment does the nurse use to determine whether this wom-an is experiencing pain?

a. Holds abdomen tightly. c. Is not verbalizing.
b. Has stable vital signs. d. Moves during sleep.

vkodali · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 11, 2018

Answer to Question 1

B

Feedback
A Incorrect. Chronic illnesses are long-term problems, and cures are not usually available.
B Correct. A chronic illness cannot be cured, but with caring, the nurse can assist the patient to live without being dominated by the demands of the illness.
C Incorrect. If a patient has an incurable illness, the nurse provides a caring envi-ronment to facilitate implementation of the patient's and family's wishes.
D Incorrect. The nurse can help the patient and family to formulate cost-cutting measures if so requested; however, because the nurse is the patient's advocate, the nurse avoids making recommendations about not using services.

Answer to Question 2

A
Because this older adult has a potential cognitive impairment and is likely to self-report pain un-reliably, the nurse uses additional clinical indicators to detect pain. Muscle rigidity and guarding are clinical indicators of pain for a postoperative older adult, regardless of a cognitive impairment. An individual experiencing pain is unlikely to have stable vital signs. Not verbalizing can indicate a sensory impairment and warrants further investigation by the nurse. Nonetheless, this older adult's verbalizations are potentially unreliable indicators of pain. Older adults move normally during sleep to adjust their position in bed; moving during sleep is not an indicator of pain unless the movements are agitated or restless in nature.