A nurse working with a middle-aged adult is concerned that the ...

[biggirl4568]

A nurse working with a middle-aged adult is concerned that the adult is not meeting developmental tasks associated with Erikson's theory. What question by the nurse is most appropriate?
 
  a. Are there community organizations you would like to volunteer with?
  b. Do your children come to see you on a regular basis?
  c. Do you get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week?
  d. How do you feel about reading for a leisure time activity?

Question 2

A nurse is assessing a middle-aged adult for cognitive skills. The patient has difficulty with seriation tests. What action by the nurse is most appropriate?
 
  a. Document the findings and continue the assessment.
  b. Perform another test for fluid intelligence.
  c. Consult with the provider about dementia screening.
  d. Ask the patient about family medical history.

[orangecrush]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
According to Erikson, this adult is in the Generativity v. Stagnation phase. Successful completion of the tasks associated with this stage includes reaching out to others beyond the nuclear family to community groups and society at large. Volunteering with an organization would be one way to meet the task. The other questions are related to individual-oriented behaviors.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
Middle-aged adults (especially younger ones) often have trouble with math processing (fluid intelligence) because of the prevalence of calculators and computers and dependence upon them to do work formerly done by the individual. The nurse should conduct other tests for fluid intelligence. The findings should be documented, but this is not the only action needed. Dementia screening is not indicated with one test result. Family medical history should be part of all screenings but is not directly related to this issue.