NURS 1016 MIDTERM SET PAPER
EXAM 2025
What are some strengths of older adults - -wisdom, peaceful, experienced (has
knowledge and practical life skills), and have healthier past times
Why is the proportion of population 65 or older steadily increasing? - -Low fertility rates
and increased life expectancy
Groups of old people - -
young old 65-74
Middle old 75-84
Old 85+
Centenarians 100+
Supercentenarian 110+
Quality of Care - -the degree to which health services for individuals and populations
increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current
professional knowledge
What are the attributes of health care quality - -safe, timely, effective, efficient,
equitable, patient centered.
Why is evidence important to nursing? - -it supports or disputes any number of
situations related to nursing practice such as approving or disputing the efficacy of a
treatment, using diagnostic tools, transmission of diseases, or any other scenario
related to health care.
Canadian Gerontological Nursing Association Standards of Practice (2020) - -
Standard I: Relational care
Standard II: Ethical care
Standard III: Evidence informed care
Standard IV: Aesthetic/ artful care
Standard V: Safe care
Standard VI: Socio-politically engaged care
*See page 21 of first slideshow for details on each.
Roles in Gerontological nursing are - -Generalist, specialist....
Implications for Gerontological Nursing and Healthy Aging - --Expertise in caring for
older people can make the difference in their quality of life. This type of nursing is
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intellectually challenging as you are often caring for individuals with complex needs and
health care issues.
Nutrition Goals - -Safe, adequate nutrition for residents.
Well-being comfort and quality of life.
Respect choice and autonomy.
What are some common nutrition concerns in the elderly? - -As we age there is a
natural decline in:
How well nutrients are absorbed, our sense of taste, smell and vision, we have a
reduced thirst sensation, reduced saliva production which creates dry mouth and
possible tooth loss, poor appetite and malnutrition, and cognitive issues and loss of
independence.
All of these things can lead to:
Weight loss and general malnutrition, dehydration, bowel problems, disease
complications, dysphagia, wounds or pressure ulcers, and vitamin and mineral
deficiencies.
Philosophy of Care when feeding elderly - -food first, medication pass nutrition
supplementation program then additional oral supplements.
Diet Order - -diet orders of clients may vary and could include therapeutic diets, texture
orders, fluid orders or other comments.
Therapeutic diets in LTC - -Regular, diabetic, renal, renal diabetic, gluten free, full fluids,
clear fluids, NPO, tube feeding (tube feeding is not common)
Texture order - -the texture order may include:
no modification, diced, minced, minced mashed, pureed.
Other comments or considerations for a diet order may include: - -allergies or
intolerances, no added salt, low potassium, or any food preferences.
Fluids order - -Fluid order may include:
No modification, nectar thick fluids, honey thick fluids.
Dysphagia - -chewing and swallowing problems.
possible causes may be MS, parkinsons, alzheimers, ALS, dementia, stroke, aging, or
medications.
This can lead to: social isolation, withdrawal, lack of dignity, and fear of choking.
Symptoms of Dysphagia - -holding food in mouth aka pocketing, inability to hold food or
fluid in mouth, wet or gurgle voice, excessive chewing, coughing during or after eating
or drinking, choking incident, resident complains of swallowing difficulty. (These are
symptoms of....)
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Health risks of Dysphagia - -food and liquid entering the lung (aspiration), pneumonia as
a result of aspiration, obstruction of airway (choking), weight loss, malnutrition, reduced
quality of life. (Health risks of....)
Guidelines for eating or feeding a person with dysphagia (and feeding in general) - -
before meal:
make sure you are familiar with the residents feeding plan (positioning instructions,
feeding aids, feeding methods, modifications and level of supervision), make sure their
mouth is clean and clear of oral residue, excess saliva and mucous, insure the resident
has their dentures, glasses or hearing aids if needed, and wash your hands as well as
the residents.
The environment should be calm and pleasant with minimal distractions, and turn the tv
down as you can have a pleasant conversation. Avoid talking over the resident to carry
on conversation with staff.
For positioning make sure they are seated upright as close to 90 degrees as possible
head positioned straight or slightly forward with a pillow to support neck and shoulders
and always be alert.
Check the tray for diet order, feed with food coming from below level of residents mouth,
place food on side of mouth that is stronger for the resident. Make sure you have time to
feed and do not rush. Residents may tire easily provide rest.
Maintain postive attitude toward the meal regardless of your preference of the food and
texture. Feed slowly with only 1/2- 1 tsp at a time and allow time to chew and swallow.
Maintain a moist mouth during feeding by giving fluids in between food, and ensure
mouth is clear before giving more food or liquid. DO NOT rinse food down with liquid as
this increases the risk of aspiration. It may be beneficial to alternate between solids and
fluids.
Some residents may need encouragement to close lips around spoon or cup.
If resident is holding food in mouth stimulate swallowing. We do this by presenting an
empty spoon as if giving more food, touching empty spoon to residents bottom lip,
gently touching outside of his or her cheek and/or providing verbal encouragement to
swallow.
IF resident coughs or chokes during feeding DO NOT o
Why do we have texture modified diets? - -to maintain or achieve normal food intake
while reducing the risk of aspiration and choking in individuals with dysphagia. Our goal
is to provide the safest food consistency to maintain the best nutrition and pleasurable
eating experience with the least modification. REMEMBER not everyone falls into a diet
texture category perfectly.
Texture Modification: Diced - -1.0 cm max.
Must be easy to pickup with fingers or utensils, foods that are usually picked up do not
need to be cut up like sandwiches.
(not for dysphagia)
We use this diet for mechanical problems with cutting food such as stroke or perceived
independence.
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Texture Modification: Minced - -0.5 cm max
meats and mixed dishes are moist and minced.
meat requires minimal chewing
We use this with problems chewing and or swallowing, or if the pt tires easily or has oral
dental issues.
Texture Modification: Minced/Mashed - -0.5 cm max
meat is minced, vegetables are mashed, soups and desserts are blended and food is
moist to facilitate swallowing.
These foods require minimal chewing.
We use this when there os problems chewing and or swallowing with some tongue
control (you are able to move food to back of throat)
Texture Modification: Pureed - -food is pureed or blended to a smooth consistency that
does not require chewing. It is pureed with fluid normally found in product or with water.
We use this with problems chewing and or swallowing, these pt have an inability to
chew and manipulate food in mouth (they have no tongue control)
Fluid consistencies - -thin fluids may be harder to control in the mouth and they may slip
into the throat quickly and into the lungs (aspiration). Thick fluids are easier to control in
the mouth and pass more slowly from the mouth to esophagus, reducing the risk of
aspiration.
There is regular, nectar thick, and honey thick.
For thickened fluid diets avoid jello and frozen foods such as popsicles, ice cream, and
sherbert because they melt into a thin liquid in the mouth.
Regular Consistency - -no modification
Nectar Thick (level 2 mildly thick) - -these fluids can be sipped from a cup and will fall off
a spoon that is tipped. These types of fluids are for people with minor swallowing
difficulty.
Honey thick (level 3 moderately thick) - -these fluids can be eaten with a spoon but do
not hold their shape on a spoon. They are too thick to be sipped from a cup. These
fluids are for people with a lot of difficulty with swallowing regular fluids
Aspiration - -studies suggest this is the leading cause of death in dementia patients.
Properly trained feeders can reduce aspiration (you need patience and practice!)
Good mouth care is essential for people at risk for aspiration.
How to feed people at risk for aspiration - -Slowly with no force, small manageable bites
of food. Ensure you have the resident positioned properly in an upright position and sit
level with the resident.
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