Author Question: A family member is accompanying the elderly patient to their follow-up appointment after a recent ... (Read 30 times)

skymedlock · **on:** Jul 22, 2018

A family member is accompanying the elderly patient to their follow-up appointment after a recent hospitalization for gastrointestinal problems.

The nurse interrupts a discussion between the family member and the patient regarding rancid food in the patient's refrigerator. The family member looks at the nurse and states, She was trying to eat spoiled food for lunch, it spelled terrible, and she still wanted to eat it. What is the most likely physiological reason that the patient not realizes that the food is spoiled? a. She has xerostomia.
b. She has a diminished sense of smell.
c. She has a diminished sense of taste.
d. She has a limited vision.

Question 2

A 64-year-old house painter who is seeing his health care provider for his annual checkup.

When the nurse asks the patient if they have any health concerns, the patient states, I don't think my vision is as good as it used to be, things look more yellow than they used to. The nurse knows that this is a visual change in older adults caused by which of the following? a. Iris yellows
b. Lens yellows
c. Retina is hypersensitive
d. Need for less light to see than when they were in young adulthood

prumorgan · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

B
Olfactory changes begin around age 50 and include a loss of cells in the olfactory bulb of the brain and a decrease in the number of sensory cells in the nasal lining. Reduced sensitivity to odors is common. A small decrease in the number of taste cells occurs with aging, beginning around age 60 . Reduced sour, salty, and bitter taste discrimination is common. The ability to detect sweet tastes seems to remain intact. Xerostomia is the decrease in salivary production that leads to thicker mucus and a dry mouth. This interferes with the ability to eat and leads to appetite and nutritional problems.

Answer to Question 2

B
Visual changes often include reduced visual fields, increased glare sensitivity, impaired night vision, reduced accommodation, reduced depth perception, and reduced color discrimination. Many of these symptoms occur because the pupils in the older adult take longer to dilate and constrict secondary to weaker iris muscles. Color vision decreases because the retina is duller and the lens yellows. Eventually, older adults may require three times as much light to see things as they did when they were in young adulthood.