CH. 35

Question 1

Answers to Assessment in Action Questions

Answer 1

Answers to Assessment in Action Questions

1. Answer: B Listen carefully to the answers the patient provides.
2. Answer: D Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
3. Answer: C “How many pillows do you sleep on?”
4. Answer: C fluid in the alveoli.
5. Answer: A Poor circulation
6. Answer: B environmental
7. Answer: A Coronary artery disease
8. Answer: As people age, the size of their support network tends to decrease as their children move away and their spouse and friends die. Medical conditions may render an older person incapable of performing even the most basic tasks of daily living, and often they are in considerable need of assistance. Your keen observations and documentation are frequently the catalyst for getting the help required by your patient.
9. Answer: It is a fact that many medications are expensive and health insurance may not cover all or any of the cost. It is also a fact that many older people live on a fixed income, and this combination of facts results in a situation where older people are faced with the challenge of making both their medication and money last. Some common solutions used by geriatric patients include spreading out the doses of their medications to make them last longer, not refilling their prescriptions, and sharing medications with family and friends. None of these solutions is optimal and all can cause either a deterioration in the patient’s conditions because of a lack of treatment or new problems from taking medication not meant for him or her. It is important to document these findings and share them with the staff at the hospital so they can assess the situation and get the proper people involved.