Touhy Chapter 14: Geri - Promoting
Healthy Skin review questions
Which of the following is an important consideration about the skin of older adults?
a. Generous amounts of soap should be used for cleansing.
b. Sweat gland activity increases.
c. Skin becomes more vulnerable to damage. d. Skin becomes darker in unexposed
areas. correct answers C
Age-related skin changes, such as thinning and diminished numbers of melanocytes,
significantly increase the risk for solar damage and subsequent skin cancer. Because
moisture is lost more rapidly from the skin of an older adult, excessive use of soap
tends to dehydrate the skin more severely than it does in a younger person. Sweat
gland activity does not increase in older age, but moisture is lost more rapidly because
the skin is thinner and sebum secretion is reduced. Changes of skin color in areas
exposed to the sun are of greater concern than those in unexposed areas.
A dermatologist should promptly evaluate which one of the following skin lesions?
a. Circumscribed, raised area resembling a blob of brown wax
b. Multicolored raised lesion with a fuzzy border
c. Bright red, glazed area with satellite lesions around it
d. Brown spot on the skin with no raised area correct answers ANS: B
A multicolored raised lesion with a fuzzy border must be promptly evaluated; this lesion
is a malignant melanoma. A circumscribed, raised area resembling a blob of brown wax
reflects seborrheic keratosis. A bright red, glazed area with satellite lesions around it is
a Candida infection. A brown spot on the skin with no raised area, such as a freckle, is
lentigo.
An older patient complains of dry skin and asks for advice. Which advice should the
nurse offer for improving dry skin?
a. Add oil to the bath water to keep skin soft.
b. Use tepid bath water.
c. Move to a climate with lower humidity.
d. Vigorously dry skin with a rough towel after bathing. correct answers ANS: B
Tepid bath water minimizes moisture loss from skin. Oil added to the bathtub increases
the risk of slipping and falling, which can result in a catastrophic injury. Oils should be
applied directly to moist skin after bathing. Humidity should be maintained at
approximately 60%; the person may not be able to move. Vigorous, rough towel drying
increases skin irritation
Which of the following is a true statement about impaired skin integrity?
, a. Stage III pressure ulcer cannot regress to stage II because the subcutaneous tissues
regenerate
b. Stasis ulcer is another term for pressure ulcer.
c. Muscle and fat cannot regenerate.
d. Weight reduction is recommended to help prevent pressure ulcers. correct answers
ANS: C
Because subcutaneous tissues such as muscle and fat are not regenerated but simply
replaced by granular tissue, the staging of pressure ulcers is never reversed. Stasis
ulcers are the result of the leakage of blood from veins beneath the skin. Pressure
ulcers are caused when perfusion to the tissue is impaired by external pressure that
causes tissue injury and death. Sufficient nutrition is essential in maintaining skin
integrity
Which of the following is a true statement about skin care for older adults?
a. A licensed practical nurse is qualified to care for the feet of a patient with diabetes.
b. Onychomycosis is quickly eradicated with antifungal creams or powders.
c. A ram's-horn nail should be cut to give a smooth, rounded edge.
d. Maintaining oral hydration may reduce the incidence of xerosis. correct answers
ANS: D
Oral hydration and lubrication will decrease the incidence of xerosis. Only a registered
nurse who has special training, a nurse practitioner, or a podiatrist should perform
diabetic foot care. The treatment of onychomycosis is difficult because of the limited
blood supply to the nails. Oral medications are expensive and toxic. A toenail should be
cut flat across. Rounding can lead to ingrown toenails
6. The nurse plans care to protect the skin covering an older adult's greater trochanter.
Which of the following interventions is the nurse's priority when the older adult is
positioned on the side?
a. Implement a turning schedule.
b. Place a cushion between the knees.
c. Keep the skin clean and dry.
d. Use the Sims' position. correct answers ANS: A
The most important nursing intervention when an older adult is positioned on the side is
to relieve pressure on the head of the femur and the greater trochanter; the greater
trochanter is the most prominent bony projection on the side of a body. By turning the
older adult at intervals, the nurse helps maintain tissue perfusion, thus providing
oxygenation to tissues and allowing the removal of waste from vulnerable skin. The
nurse places a pillow between the knees to help maintain physiological body alignment
and to prevent strain on the hips and spine; if positioned properly, the pillow can help
maintain tissue integrity of the medial malleolus and ankle by elevating them off the
mattress. However, because the nurse's priority is to maintain tissue oxygenation,
preventing muscle and joint strain is not as important. The nurse keeps the skin clean
and dry to help maintain skin integrity, but this intervention is not as important as
maintaining tissue oxygenation. The nurse uses the Sims' position to supplement
Healthy Skin review questions
Which of the following is an important consideration about the skin of older adults?
a. Generous amounts of soap should be used for cleansing.
b. Sweat gland activity increases.
c. Skin becomes more vulnerable to damage. d. Skin becomes darker in unexposed
areas. correct answers C
Age-related skin changes, such as thinning and diminished numbers of melanocytes,
significantly increase the risk for solar damage and subsequent skin cancer. Because
moisture is lost more rapidly from the skin of an older adult, excessive use of soap
tends to dehydrate the skin more severely than it does in a younger person. Sweat
gland activity does not increase in older age, but moisture is lost more rapidly because
the skin is thinner and sebum secretion is reduced. Changes of skin color in areas
exposed to the sun are of greater concern than those in unexposed areas.
A dermatologist should promptly evaluate which one of the following skin lesions?
a. Circumscribed, raised area resembling a blob of brown wax
b. Multicolored raised lesion with a fuzzy border
c. Bright red, glazed area with satellite lesions around it
d. Brown spot on the skin with no raised area correct answers ANS: B
A multicolored raised lesion with a fuzzy border must be promptly evaluated; this lesion
is a malignant melanoma. A circumscribed, raised area resembling a blob of brown wax
reflects seborrheic keratosis. A bright red, glazed area with satellite lesions around it is
a Candida infection. A brown spot on the skin with no raised area, such as a freckle, is
lentigo.
An older patient complains of dry skin and asks for advice. Which advice should the
nurse offer for improving dry skin?
a. Add oil to the bath water to keep skin soft.
b. Use tepid bath water.
c. Move to a climate with lower humidity.
d. Vigorously dry skin with a rough towel after bathing. correct answers ANS: B
Tepid bath water minimizes moisture loss from skin. Oil added to the bathtub increases
the risk of slipping and falling, which can result in a catastrophic injury. Oils should be
applied directly to moist skin after bathing. Humidity should be maintained at
approximately 60%; the person may not be able to move. Vigorous, rough towel drying
increases skin irritation
Which of the following is a true statement about impaired skin integrity?
, a. Stage III pressure ulcer cannot regress to stage II because the subcutaneous tissues
regenerate
b. Stasis ulcer is another term for pressure ulcer.
c. Muscle and fat cannot regenerate.
d. Weight reduction is recommended to help prevent pressure ulcers. correct answers
ANS: C
Because subcutaneous tissues such as muscle and fat are not regenerated but simply
replaced by granular tissue, the staging of pressure ulcers is never reversed. Stasis
ulcers are the result of the leakage of blood from veins beneath the skin. Pressure
ulcers are caused when perfusion to the tissue is impaired by external pressure that
causes tissue injury and death. Sufficient nutrition is essential in maintaining skin
integrity
Which of the following is a true statement about skin care for older adults?
a. A licensed practical nurse is qualified to care for the feet of a patient with diabetes.
b. Onychomycosis is quickly eradicated with antifungal creams or powders.
c. A ram's-horn nail should be cut to give a smooth, rounded edge.
d. Maintaining oral hydration may reduce the incidence of xerosis. correct answers
ANS: D
Oral hydration and lubrication will decrease the incidence of xerosis. Only a registered
nurse who has special training, a nurse practitioner, or a podiatrist should perform
diabetic foot care. The treatment of onychomycosis is difficult because of the limited
blood supply to the nails. Oral medications are expensive and toxic. A toenail should be
cut flat across. Rounding can lead to ingrown toenails
6. The nurse plans care to protect the skin covering an older adult's greater trochanter.
Which of the following interventions is the nurse's priority when the older adult is
positioned on the side?
a. Implement a turning schedule.
b. Place a cushion between the knees.
c. Keep the skin clean and dry.
d. Use the Sims' position. correct answers ANS: A
The most important nursing intervention when an older adult is positioned on the side is
to relieve pressure on the head of the femur and the greater trochanter; the greater
trochanter is the most prominent bony projection on the side of a body. By turning the
older adult at intervals, the nurse helps maintain tissue perfusion, thus providing
oxygenation to tissues and allowing the removal of waste from vulnerable skin. The
nurse places a pillow between the knees to help maintain physiological body alignment
and to prevent strain on the hips and spine; if positioned properly, the pillow can help
maintain tissue integrity of the medial malleolus and ankle by elevating them off the
mattress. However, because the nurse's priority is to maintain tissue oxygenation,
preventing muscle and joint strain is not as important. The nurse keeps the skin clean
and dry to help maintain skin integrity, but this intervention is not as important as
maintaining tissue oxygenation. The nurse uses the Sims' position to supplement
