The son of a nursing home resident asks a nurse: What is the ...

[tfester]

The son of a nursing home resident asks a nurse: What is the significance of being certified in gerontology? I see that you are, but not all of the nurses are. The best response by the nurse is which of the following?
 
  a. National certification as a gerontological nurse is a way to demonstrate special knowledge in caring for older adults
  b. National certification in gerontology is required for all nurses who have worked in this setting for 2 or more years
  c. National certification is only available to nurses who have a Baccalaureate degree in nursing
  d. Only advanced practice nurses, like nurse practitioners, are certified in gerontology

Question 2

A nursing student is preparing a presentation on the Wellness-Based Model for Healthy Aging. Which of the following concepts should the student include in the presentation? (Select all that apply.)
 
  a. Healthy aging is defined by the absence of physical illness alone
  b. Healthy aging is individually defined and can change over time
  c. There are many strategies to promote healthy aging that are believed to be help-ful but do not have empirical evidence to support them
  d. Healthy aging cannot be achieved by only focusing on later life. It is a lifelong pro-cess
  e. According to this model, an individual with a chronic disease would not be con-sidered healthy

[lcapri7]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
National certification is a way to demonstrate special expertise in caring for older adults. It is not required for practice in any setting across the continuum of care, and it is not exclusive to nurses with Baccalaureate degrees. There is both a generalist and a specialist gerontological nursing cer-tification. The generalist functions in a variety of settings providing care to older adults and their families. The specialist has advanced gerontological education at a Masters level.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B, C, D
Healthy aging is a lifelong process that begins with birth and ends with death. The concept of healthy aging from a wellness perspective is uniquely defined by each individual and can change over time. There are challenges to implementing evidence-based practices on healthy aging be-cause there is a paucity of research on this area. Therefore, there are many strategies that have been used and determined to be effective but do not have research evidence supporting them. The subcomponents with the wellness model are functional independence, self-care management of illness, personal growth, positive outlook, and social contribution and activities that promote one's health.