Which change in the skin is abnormal in an older person? a. ...

[acc299]

Which change in the skin is abnormal in an older person?
 
  a. Thinner and more fragile skin c. Greater number of freckles
  b. Red, swollen 3-day-old wound d. Loss of hair on the extremities

Question 2

The nurse sees an older woman with OA and a low-grade fever. The patient tells the nurse that her pain is changing; it is worse at night and in her shoulder muscles.
 
  Which of the following does the nurse perform to prevent complications of this patient's condition? a. Assess her joints for swelling and redness.
  b. Obtain blood specimens for blood cul-tures.
  c. Direct her to report temporal or scalp pain.
  d. Tell her to apply moist heat for 20 mi-nutes.

[mistyjohnson]

Answer to Question 1

B
Although the skin of an older person may require 48 to 72 hours to mount an initial inflammatory response to a wound, increasing redness after that time, particularly with purulent discharge, is a sign of infection. This change is normal as ridges in the skin are lost. Melanin distribution be-comes more uneven with age. Hair is commonly lost from the legs and other areas of older adults. Hair loss from the legs is not a sign of peripheral vascular disease.

Answer to Question 2

C
The older adult exhibits clinical indicators of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), and a serious complication of PMR is giant cell arteritis (GCA). The nurse instructs the patient to report scalp and temporal pain because they are early indicators of GCA. As a complication of PMR, the pa-tient exhibits clinical indicators of PMR that include severe pain and stiffness of muscles, in-cluding the back, buttocks, and thighs. PMR is not a disease that affects the joints. Blood cultures are not indicated for PMR because it is not an infection. Because PMR is an autoimmune, inflammatory disorder, applying heat is more likely to aggravate the patient's condition. Effective treatment for PMR includes low-dose steroids. However, low-dose steroids are unrelated to preventing complications of PMR.

[acc299]

TYSM

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Excellent