Author Question: An older man has Alzheimer's disease, and his wife says he is up and wandering around the house at ... (Read 74 times)

burton19126 · **on:** Jul 11, 2018

An older man has Alzheimer's disease, and his wife says he is up and wandering around the house at night. Which intervention should the nurse implement to increase the man's duration of sleep?

a. Instruct the wife to increase his daily physical activity.
b. Collaborate with the health care provider to administer a hypnotic.
c. Teach the wife how to apply a vest restraint during sleep.
d. Help the wife plan daily periods for napping and activity.

Question 2

When planning care for a patient that has a history of alcohol abuse, the nurse recognizes which of the following medication(s) will interact with alcohol? (Select all that apply.)

a. Analgesics c. Antidepressants
b. Antibiotics d. Antipyretics

kingfahad97 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 11, 2018

Answer to Question 1

A

Feedback
A Correct. Regular exercise can help to increase the duration of sleep during the night.
B Incorrect. Adding a new medication to the existing pharmacotherapy can in-crease adverse drug interactions and complicate this problem, because the exist-ing therapeutic regimen can be contributing to the problem already. Adminis-tering a hypnotic is the therapy of last resort and can be ineffective therapy.
C Incorrect. The nurse avoids recommending the use of restraints because restraint use is associated with an increased incidence of injury and accidents. In addi-tion, restraints can be ineffective therapy and can contribute to hostility and combativeness.
D Incorrect. Excessive napping during the day may be contributing to the problem.

Answer to Question 2

A, B, C
Many drugs that older adults use for chronic illnesses cause adverse effects when combined with alcohol. Alcohol interacts with at least 50 of prescription drugs. (Naegle, 2008) Medications that interact with alcohol include analgesics, antibiotics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzo-diazepines, H2-receptor antagonists, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and herbal medications (e.g., Echinacea, valerian). Acetaminophen taken on a regular basis, when combined with alcohol, may lead to liver failure. Alcohol diminishes the effects of oral hypoglycemics, an-ticoagulants, and anticonvulsants. All older people should be given precise instructions regarding the interaction of alcohol with their medications.