A patient is not competent to manage financial affairs. What ...

[viki]

A patient is not competent to manage financial affairs. What legal recourse does the older person have?
 
  a. Guardian
  b. Conservator
  c. Health care proxy
  d. Social worker

Question 2

The nurse is caring for an older adult patient who was admitted with a stage 3 pressure ulcer on the left heel and who also has a history of Parkinson disease and chronic renal failure
 
  To mi-nimize the patient's risk of developing an iatrogenic illness, the nurse:
  a. uses sterile technique when changing the heel's dressings.
  b. reviews all the patient's medications for possible adverse reactions.
  c. instructs the patient to call for assistance when needing to go to the bathroom.
  d. assists the patient in choosing the appro-priate foods from the daily menu.

[allisonblackmore]

Answer to Question 1

B
A conservator is appointed by the courts to handle a patient's monetary affairs. A guardian helps with nonmonetary issues. Health care proxy and social workers do not manage financial affairs.

Answer to Question 2

B
Adverse drug reactions frequently precipitate hospitalizations and, although often unreported, are among the most common iatrogenic events in the acute care setting. The hospital staff needs to get an accurate drug history of a patient, be aware of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes related to aging, and have a working understanding of drug-disease, drug-drug, and drug-food interactions in older adults. Nurses should be particularly aware of drugs that may be high risk when used in older adults. The other actions are important for patient safety, but the more frequent cause of iatrogenic problems is related to medication use.