Author Question: Which of the following statements is true about cognitive impairments in older adults? a. Loss or ... (Read 70 times)

EY67 · **on:** Jul 11, 2018

Which of the following statements is true about cognitive impairments in older adults?

a. Loss or interruption of sleep can lead to delirium.
b. Confusion is a normal and unavoidable consequence of aging.
c. Older patients who are agitated often have a lower cognitive status than those who are quietly sitting.
d. The Mini-Mental State Examination2nd edition (MMSE-2) should be administered on admission to detect delirium.

Question 2

The nurse must inform an older adult who does not speak English about patient rights. In addition, the nurse must have the adult sign the document about information access.

Which in-tervention should the nurse use to maintain the confidentiality of this older adult? a. Present the patient with a Spanish version of the information access document.
b. Have an English-speaking family member explain the document to the patient.
c. Explain the document to the patient using an interpreter to ensure understanding.
d. Instruct an interpreter to read the informa-tion access document to the resident pri-vately.

mochi09 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 11, 2018

Answer to Question 1

D
The MMSE-2 or a similar instrument should be administered to a patient at admission to ascertain the patient's baseline cognitive status. The loss or interruption of sleep, in of itself, does not often lead to delirium. It can potentiate delirium in the presence of other factors. Confusion or delirium is not a normal consequence of aging but an indicator of a potentially underlying problem. The hypoactive subtype of delirium can be associated with a worse prognosis than with the hyperactive subtype; it is easily overlooked.

Answer to Question 2

C
To ensure patient understanding, the nurse explains a patient's rights about information access to the patient with the assistance of an interpreter. The nurse is responsible for patient understand-ing and thus cannot relinquish this task to another person. When understanding is reached con-cerning the rights associated with access to information, the patient can then make an informed decision about releasing health care information and thus maintain privacy. The nurse cannot ensure patient understanding without discussing the document with the patient using an interpre-ter. The nurse cannot delegate a nursing responsibility to a family member; the nurse does not have the right to release the health information to anyone. In private or public, the nurse cannot delegate this task to another person.