An older patient who lives with family has a history of chronic ...

[CORALGRILL2014]

An older patient who lives with family has a history of chronic alcohol abuse and poor compliance with the medical plan
 
  The patient has begun to experience a marked decline. His family tells the nurse that these problems are a result of their inability to care for the patient properly. The nurse best responds by:
  a. evaluating the care the family has been providing.
  b. suggesting that care should be assumed by a professional caregiver.
  c. helping the family recognize that the de-cline is a result of the patient's condition and personal choices.
  d. assuring them they are providing the pa-tient with care motivated by love.

Question 2

When the home health nurse assists the older adult patient with rearranging furniture within the home to prevent the patient from falling, the nurse is demonstrating
 
  a. health promotion.
  b. health protection.
  c. health prevention.
  d. disease prevention.

[cdmart10]

Answer to Question 1

C
Family members often feel they have failed. They may need help to recognize when failures are the result of a challenging situation and not their performance. Giving objective information about the patient's medical condition and the consequences of not following the medical regime can help alleviate guilt. The nurse may need to evaluate the care the patient gets, but that puts the entire responsibility back on the family, which is counterproductive. Care may need to be as-sumed by a professional, but the nurse should first help the family with their feelings. Suggesting this prematurely can lead to increased guilt. Telling the family their care is motivated by love dismisses their concerns.

Answer to Question 2

B
The overarching goals are to attain high-quality, long lives free of preventable disease, disability, and injury; to eliminate disparities; create social and physical environments that promote health; and optimize quality of life across the life span. Health protection targets five areas including unintentional injury. Rearranging furniture to prevent falls is a health protection activity.