ELIOPOULOS GERONTOLOGICAL
NURSING EXAM PREP QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A PLUS STUDY
RESOURCE
●● 2. The nurse manager of a geriatric medicine unit learns that spiritual
care services are underutilized by patients and their families. Which
phenomenon explains this finding?
A) While spiritual needs are a universal part of the human condition,
many people do not acknowledge these needs.
B) The high-stress environment of a hospital is incompatible with the
solace and quiet necessary for addressing spiritual needs.
C) Spiritual needs are less apparent during times of immediate and
tangible need, such as acute illness requiring hospital treatment.
D) Many older adults who have experienced a lifetime of self-
sufficiency and practical resourcefulness do not have spiritual needs.
Answer: Ans: A
Feedback:
All humans have spiritual needs regardless of whether they realize or
acknowledge them. Some of these needs become relevant in late life
when the high prevalence of chronic illness and the reality of death are
evident. While a hospital does provide a high-stress environment, this is
not mutually exclusive with identifying and providing for patients'
spiritual needs.
,●● 3. The nurse is aware of the spiritual dimension in Erikson's
conceptualization of the older adult's growth and development. When
applying Erikson's theory to the care of older patients, what does the
nurse realize as being a spiritual component of Erikson's final
development task?
A) Awareness that one is loved by others and has provided unconditional
love.
B) A confidently held hope that a transcendent and positive afterlife
awaits one following death.
C) A sense of contribution that one's relationships and endeavors have
benefited society and one's family.
D) A sense of wholeness rooted in the knowledge that life experiences
make sense and have served a purpose.
Answer: Ans: D
Feedback:
According to Erikson's description of the final developmental task,
healthy psychological aging for the older adult involves achieving a
sense of integrity. This integrity, or wholeness, is supported by the belief
that life experiences—both good and bad—make sense and have served
a purpose. The other choices express needs that older individuals may
possess, but these are not components of Erikson's framework.
●● 4. The nurse is caring for older patients in a long-term care facility.
When ensuring for these patients' dignity, which statement reflects the
role of dignity as it relates to the spiritual needs of the older adult?
, A) Older adults who have lived a life of integrity and service have
earned dignity.
B) An acknowledgment of spiritual needs is necessary for the presence
of dignity.
C) Older adults may lack many of the attributes that are valued in
society, but they can derive a sense of dignity from spirituality.
D) Older adults who have moved successfully through Erikson's stages
of development can experience dignity in spite of disability.
Answer: Ans: C
Feedback:
Despite declines in such areas as productivity and physical appearance,
older adults can maintain a sense of their intrinsic worth, or dignity, by
connecting with the Divine. Acknowledgment of spiritual needs is not
necessarily a prerequisite for dignity, given that dignity is by definition
inherent in all persons, nor is progression through Erikson's stages or a
life of service necessarily required.
●● 5. The spouse of a patient with dementia remains upbeat and is
appreciative of having good health and a loving family. The nurse
realizes that the spouse is demonstrating which component of
spirituality?
A) Hope
B) Fatalism
C) Gratitude
D) Transcendence
NURSING EXAM PREP QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A PLUS STUDY
RESOURCE
●● 2. The nurse manager of a geriatric medicine unit learns that spiritual
care services are underutilized by patients and their families. Which
phenomenon explains this finding?
A) While spiritual needs are a universal part of the human condition,
many people do not acknowledge these needs.
B) The high-stress environment of a hospital is incompatible with the
solace and quiet necessary for addressing spiritual needs.
C) Spiritual needs are less apparent during times of immediate and
tangible need, such as acute illness requiring hospital treatment.
D) Many older adults who have experienced a lifetime of self-
sufficiency and practical resourcefulness do not have spiritual needs.
Answer: Ans: A
Feedback:
All humans have spiritual needs regardless of whether they realize or
acknowledge them. Some of these needs become relevant in late life
when the high prevalence of chronic illness and the reality of death are
evident. While a hospital does provide a high-stress environment, this is
not mutually exclusive with identifying and providing for patients'
spiritual needs.
,●● 3. The nurse is aware of the spiritual dimension in Erikson's
conceptualization of the older adult's growth and development. When
applying Erikson's theory to the care of older patients, what does the
nurse realize as being a spiritual component of Erikson's final
development task?
A) Awareness that one is loved by others and has provided unconditional
love.
B) A confidently held hope that a transcendent and positive afterlife
awaits one following death.
C) A sense of contribution that one's relationships and endeavors have
benefited society and one's family.
D) A sense of wholeness rooted in the knowledge that life experiences
make sense and have served a purpose.
Answer: Ans: D
Feedback:
According to Erikson's description of the final developmental task,
healthy psychological aging for the older adult involves achieving a
sense of integrity. This integrity, or wholeness, is supported by the belief
that life experiences—both good and bad—make sense and have served
a purpose. The other choices express needs that older individuals may
possess, but these are not components of Erikson's framework.
●● 4. The nurse is caring for older patients in a long-term care facility.
When ensuring for these patients' dignity, which statement reflects the
role of dignity as it relates to the spiritual needs of the older adult?
, A) Older adults who have lived a life of integrity and service have
earned dignity.
B) An acknowledgment of spiritual needs is necessary for the presence
of dignity.
C) Older adults may lack many of the attributes that are valued in
society, but they can derive a sense of dignity from spirituality.
D) Older adults who have moved successfully through Erikson's stages
of development can experience dignity in spite of disability.
Answer: Ans: C
Feedback:
Despite declines in such areas as productivity and physical appearance,
older adults can maintain a sense of their intrinsic worth, or dignity, by
connecting with the Divine. Acknowledgment of spiritual needs is not
necessarily a prerequisite for dignity, given that dignity is by definition
inherent in all persons, nor is progression through Erikson's stages or a
life of service necessarily required.
●● 5. The spouse of a patient with dementia remains upbeat and is
appreciative of having good health and a loving family. The nurse
realizes that the spouse is demonstrating which component of
spirituality?
A) Hope
B) Fatalism
C) Gratitude
D) Transcendence
