Answer to Question 1
A
It has been found that if cancer survivors and their partners participated in an educational program to teach the importance of disclosing feelings and then actually disclosed them, relationships and intimacy were improved. Encouraging honest communication within families is an important intervention for the nurse to implement to enhance family relationships. Core family functions include maintaining an emotionally and physically safe environment, interpreting and reducing the threat of stressful events (including the cancer) for family members, and nurturing and supporting the development of individual family members. In childrearing families, this means providing an attentive parenting environment for children and information and support to children when their sense of well-being becomes threatened. Spouses often do not know what to do to support the survivor, and they struggle with how to help.
Answer to Question 2
B
When assessing an older adult, nurses need to listen carefully and allow the patient to speak. Positive nonverbal communication, such as making eye contact, nodding, and leaning forward, shows interest in the patient. Gathering data from family members is acceptable, but when a patient is able to interact, nurses need to include information from the older adult to complete the assessment.
