GERO EXAM II QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATIONS
The nurse observes older female adults learning advanced knitting techniques. The
nurse concludes that this learning activity is suitable for these women because it
accomplishes which of the following?
a. Helps maintain joint flexibility
b. Improves the group's cohesiveness
c. Provides a needed social opportunity
d. Adds to their existing knowledge base - Answer-d. Adds to their existing knowledge
base.
Learning advanced techniques is a suitable activity for older adults because it builds on
knowledge they already have; further, this activity is suitable because it is concrete and
practical for experienced knitters to develop advanced skills. Joint flexibility is a physical
activity and not necessarily a learning activity. The members share enjoyment of
knitting; other than being women and older, the group has no special bond on which to
build. The need for socializing is not evident.
The nurse at a nursing home wants to help decrease the risk of Alzheimer disease in
the residents. Which should the nurse do to implement this goal?
a. Keep the curtains open in their rooms.
b. Offer beads for them to string on yarn.
c. Show movies that the residents choose.
d. Assist residents with ambulation to meals. - Answer-d. Assist residents with
ambulation to meals.
Engaging in physical activity and social interaction are associated with a lower risk for
Alzheimer disease. Keeping the curtains open can make a resident's room more
pleasant but is likely to be counterproductive in lowering the risk; brightening the room
can entice the resident to stay in the room and decrease social interaction. Stringing
beads is a passive and sedentary activity and therefore unlikely to decrease the risk for
Alzheimer disease; physical activity is associated with a lower risk for Alzheimer
disease. Watching movies is a sedentary but not a mentally stimulating activity for an
adult with a normal intelligence.
Which physiological change in the brain is the reason the nurse allows more time for
answering questions with older adults?
a. Increased secretion of cholinesterase
, b. Decreased secretion of neurotransmitters
c.Loss of spinal cord and brainstem neurons
d. Atrophy of dendrites in the cerebral cortex - Answer-d. Atrophy of dendrites in the
cerebral cortex.
Dendrites are the receiving end of neurons (receiving electrochemical signals) and the
branched ends extending from the cell body. The atrophy of dendrites contributes to
slower thought processes with aging because the synapses are impaired; this changes
the transmission of neurotransmitters that are vital in the transmission of an electrical
impulse from neuron to neuron. The secretion of cholinesterase, the enzyme that
inactivates acetylcholine in the synapse, does not increase with aging. Changes in the
transmission of neurotransmitters are associated with the atrophy of dendrites. The
spinal cord and the cerebral cortex lose neurons with age, the cerebral cortex more than
the spinal cord.
The nurse provides opportunities for nursing home residents to read aloud to others.
Which cognitive skill is this nursing intervention most likely to improve?
a. Verbal fluency
c. Object naming
b.Logical analysis
d. Visuospatial skills - Answer-a. Verbal fluency
Allowing residents to read aloud helps improve and maintain verbal fluency because it
provides an opportunity to practice these skills. Reading aloud does not usually require
analysis. Reading is unlikely to improve object recall unless displaying objects is part of
the reading. Visuospatial skills require the ability to perceive the relationship of objects
in terms of the space each object occupies; reading is unlikely to improve this skill.
Which statements are true about aging and the brain? (Select all that apply.)
a. Most areas of the brain do not lose brain cells.
b. Memory decline is inevitable as people age.
c. Basic intelligence remains unchanged with age.
d. The brain does not continue to make new brain cells. - Answer-a. Most areas of the
brain do not lose brain cells.
c. Basic intelligence remains unchanged with age.
Most areas of the brain do not lose brain cells. Although older adults may lose some
nerve connections, it can be part of the reshaping of the brain that comes with
experience. Basic intelligence remains unchanged with age, and older adults should be
provided with opportunities for continued learning. Many people reach older age and
have no memory problems. Participation in physical exercise, stimulating mental
activity, socialization, health diet, and stress management help brain health.
The nurse is admitting a patient to a long-term care facility. During the admission, the
patient verbalizes a concern about getting dementia now that he is in a nursing home. In
what activity(ies) should the nurse encourage the patient to participate to maintain brain
health? (Select all that apply.)
ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATIONS
The nurse observes older female adults learning advanced knitting techniques. The
nurse concludes that this learning activity is suitable for these women because it
accomplishes which of the following?
a. Helps maintain joint flexibility
b. Improves the group's cohesiveness
c. Provides a needed social opportunity
d. Adds to their existing knowledge base - Answer-d. Adds to their existing knowledge
base.
Learning advanced techniques is a suitable activity for older adults because it builds on
knowledge they already have; further, this activity is suitable because it is concrete and
practical for experienced knitters to develop advanced skills. Joint flexibility is a physical
activity and not necessarily a learning activity. The members share enjoyment of
knitting; other than being women and older, the group has no special bond on which to
build. The need for socializing is not evident.
The nurse at a nursing home wants to help decrease the risk of Alzheimer disease in
the residents. Which should the nurse do to implement this goal?
a. Keep the curtains open in their rooms.
b. Offer beads for them to string on yarn.
c. Show movies that the residents choose.
d. Assist residents with ambulation to meals. - Answer-d. Assist residents with
ambulation to meals.
Engaging in physical activity and social interaction are associated with a lower risk for
Alzheimer disease. Keeping the curtains open can make a resident's room more
pleasant but is likely to be counterproductive in lowering the risk; brightening the room
can entice the resident to stay in the room and decrease social interaction. Stringing
beads is a passive and sedentary activity and therefore unlikely to decrease the risk for
Alzheimer disease; physical activity is associated with a lower risk for Alzheimer
disease. Watching movies is a sedentary but not a mentally stimulating activity for an
adult with a normal intelligence.
Which physiological change in the brain is the reason the nurse allows more time for
answering questions with older adults?
a. Increased secretion of cholinesterase
, b. Decreased secretion of neurotransmitters
c.Loss of spinal cord and brainstem neurons
d. Atrophy of dendrites in the cerebral cortex - Answer-d. Atrophy of dendrites in the
cerebral cortex.
Dendrites are the receiving end of neurons (receiving electrochemical signals) and the
branched ends extending from the cell body. The atrophy of dendrites contributes to
slower thought processes with aging because the synapses are impaired; this changes
the transmission of neurotransmitters that are vital in the transmission of an electrical
impulse from neuron to neuron. The secretion of cholinesterase, the enzyme that
inactivates acetylcholine in the synapse, does not increase with aging. Changes in the
transmission of neurotransmitters are associated with the atrophy of dendrites. The
spinal cord and the cerebral cortex lose neurons with age, the cerebral cortex more than
the spinal cord.
The nurse provides opportunities for nursing home residents to read aloud to others.
Which cognitive skill is this nursing intervention most likely to improve?
a. Verbal fluency
c. Object naming
b.Logical analysis
d. Visuospatial skills - Answer-a. Verbal fluency
Allowing residents to read aloud helps improve and maintain verbal fluency because it
provides an opportunity to practice these skills. Reading aloud does not usually require
analysis. Reading is unlikely to improve object recall unless displaying objects is part of
the reading. Visuospatial skills require the ability to perceive the relationship of objects
in terms of the space each object occupies; reading is unlikely to improve this skill.
Which statements are true about aging and the brain? (Select all that apply.)
a. Most areas of the brain do not lose brain cells.
b. Memory decline is inevitable as people age.
c. Basic intelligence remains unchanged with age.
d. The brain does not continue to make new brain cells. - Answer-a. Most areas of the
brain do not lose brain cells.
c. Basic intelligence remains unchanged with age.
Most areas of the brain do not lose brain cells. Although older adults may lose some
nerve connections, it can be part of the reshaping of the brain that comes with
experience. Basic intelligence remains unchanged with age, and older adults should be
provided with opportunities for continued learning. Many people reach older age and
have no memory problems. Participation in physical exercise, stimulating mental
activity, socialization, health diet, and stress management help brain health.
The nurse is admitting a patient to a long-term care facility. During the admission, the
patient verbalizes a concern about getting dementia now that he is in a nursing home. In
what activity(ies) should the nurse encourage the patient to participate to maintain brain
health? (Select all that apply.)
