GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING EXAM
QUESTIONS & ELABORATED PASSED
ANSWERS 100%
The nurse is performing an assessment on an older adult client. What assessment data
would indicate a potential complication associated with the skin of this client?- Crusting,
Wrinkling, or thinning/loss of elasticity of skin - Correct Answer ✔✔ Crusting- indicates a
potential complication
The nurse who volunteers at a senior citizens' center is planning activities for the
members. What activity would best promote health and maintenance? - Correct Answer
✔✔ Walking 3-5 times per week for 30 minutes. Exercise and activity are essential for
health promotion and maintenance.
The home health nurse is visiting a client for the first time. While assessing the client's
medication, it is noted that there are 19 prescription and several over the counter
medications that the client is taking. What intervention should the nurse take first? -
Correct Answer ✔✔ Determine whether there are medication duplications.
Polypharamacy is a concern in the geriatric population.
The nurse is working with older clients in a long term care facility. Which activities
performed by the nurse fosters reminiscence among these clients? - Correct Answer
✔✔ Having storytelling hours- clients who like to retell stories or past events need to be
provided time to do so. It is a way for the older adult to relive and restructure life
experiences and is a part of achieving ego identity.
The home care nurse is performing an environmental assessment in the home of an
older adult. Which of the following requires immediate nursing action?
Unsecured scattered rugs, operable smoke detector, or prefilled medication cassette? -
Correct Answer ✔✔ Unsecured scattered rugs- trauma to the older client in the home
may be caused by a variety of factors. These include unsteady gait, the presence of
unsecured scatter rugs, clattered passageways, and inoperable smoke detectors.
The nurse is teaching an older client about measures to prevent constipation. What
statement made by the client indicates further teaching is needed?
-"I'll walk 1-2 miles everyday"
-"I need to decrease fiber in my diet"
-"I have a bowel movement everyday"
-"I drink 6-8 glasses of water everyday" - Correct Answer ✔✔ "I need to decrease fiber
in my diet" -Adequate dietary fiber is an important factor in aiding bowel function.
Dietary fiber increases fecal weight and water content and accelerates the transit of
fecal mass through the GI tract.
,Define Ageism. - Correct Answer ✔✔ Ageism is a form of prejudice in which older
adults are stereotyped by characteristics found in only a few members of their group.
Fundamental to ageism is the view that older persons are different from "me" and will
remain different from "me." Therefore, they are portrayed as not experiencing the same
desires, needs, and concerns.
The nurse is providing medication instructions to an older client who is taking digoxin
(Lanoxin) daily. What age related body changes could place the client at risk for digoxin
toxicity? - Correct Answer ✔✔ Decreased lean body mass and decreased glomerular
filtration rate.
The nurse employed in a long term care facility is caring for an older male client. What
nursing action contributes to encouraging autonomy in the client?
-Planning meals -Scheduling appts
-Decorating his room -He chooses activities - Correct Answer ✔✔ Client choosing own
activities. Autonomy is the personal freedom to direct one's own life as long as it does
not impinge on the rights of others. An autonomous person is capable of rational
thought.
The home care nurse is visiting an older female client whose husband died 6 months
ago. What behavior by the client indicates ineffective coping?
- Neglect personal grooming
-Looking at old pictures
-Participating in senior citizens' program
-Visiting her husband's grave - Correct Answer ✔✔ Neglecting personal grooming.
Coping mechanisms are behaviors used to decrease anxiety and stress. In response to
death, ineffective coping is manifested by an extreme behavior that in some cases may
be harmful to the individual.
The nurse is providing instructions to a nursing assistant regarding care of an older
client with hearing loss. The nurse tells the assistant that clients with a hear loss: -
Correct Answer ✔✔ Respond to low pitched tones. Prebycusis refers to the age related
irreversible degenerative changes of the inner eat that lead to decreased hearing ability.
As a result of these changes, the older client has a decreased response to high
frequency sounds. Low pitched voice tones are heard more easily and can be
interpreted by the older client.
The nurse is providing an educational session to new employees, and the topic is abuse
of the older adult. The nurse helps the employees identify that which client is most
typical of a victim of abuse?
- 75 y.o man with moderate hypertension
- 68 y.o man with newly dx cataracts
, - 90 y.o woman with advanced Parkinson's dz
-70 y.o woman with early dx Lyme dz - Correct Answer ✔✔ 90 y.o woman with
advanced Parkinson's dz. Elder abuse is widespread and occurs among all subgroups
of the population. Elder abuse includes physical and psychological abuse, misuse of
property, and violation of rights. The typical abuse victim is a woman of advanced age
with few social contacts and at least one physical or mental impairment that limits her
ability to perform activities of daily living.
The nurse is performing an assessment on an older client who is having difficulty
sleeping at night. What statement by the client indicates education is needed on
improving sleep?
-"I swim 3 times a week"
-"I have stopped smoking cigars."
-"I drink hot chocolate before bed"
-"I read for 40 min at bedtime." - Correct Answer ✔✔ "I drink hot chocolate before bed"
Many nonpharmacological sleep aids can be used to influence sleep. The client should
avoid caffeinated beverages and stimulants such as tea, cola, and chocolate. The client
should exercise regularly, because exercise promotes sleep by burning off tension that
accumulates during the day. The client should sleep on a firm mattress. Smoking and
alcohol should be avoided. The client should also avoid large meals, peanuts, beans,
fruit and raw veggies that produce gas, and snacks high in fat that are difficult to digest.
The visiting nurse observes that the older male client is confined by his daughter to his
room. When the nurse suggests that he walk into the den and join everyone, he says
"I'm in everyone's way, my daughter needs me to stay here." The most important action
for the nurse is to: - Correct Answer ✔✔ Suggest appropriate resources to the client
and daughter-in-law, such as respite care and a senior citizens' center. Assisting clients
and families to become aware of available community support systems is a role and
responsibility of the nurse.
Gerontologic Specialty Certification - Correct Answer ✔✔ The number of older people
continues to increase; the need for specialized knowledge becomes even more critical
in every specialty and every health care setting; In 1974, geriatric nursing was the first
certification program offered by the ANA and nursing was the first professional group to
develop standards of care and certification in the field of gerontology
Define the Neuroendocrine Theory. - Correct Answer ✔✔ Based on the integration of
the neuroendocrine and immune systems; emphasis is on the programmed deaths of
the immune cells from damage caused by the increase of free radicals as aging
progresses; the reduced T cells are thought to be responsible for hastening the age-
related changes caused by autoimmune reaction as the body battles itself; healthy cells
are mistaken for foreign substances and are attacked.
QUESTIONS & ELABORATED PASSED
ANSWERS 100%
The nurse is performing an assessment on an older adult client. What assessment data
would indicate a potential complication associated with the skin of this client?- Crusting,
Wrinkling, or thinning/loss of elasticity of skin - Correct Answer ✔✔ Crusting- indicates a
potential complication
The nurse who volunteers at a senior citizens' center is planning activities for the
members. What activity would best promote health and maintenance? - Correct Answer
✔✔ Walking 3-5 times per week for 30 minutes. Exercise and activity are essential for
health promotion and maintenance.
The home health nurse is visiting a client for the first time. While assessing the client's
medication, it is noted that there are 19 prescription and several over the counter
medications that the client is taking. What intervention should the nurse take first? -
Correct Answer ✔✔ Determine whether there are medication duplications.
Polypharamacy is a concern in the geriatric population.
The nurse is working with older clients in a long term care facility. Which activities
performed by the nurse fosters reminiscence among these clients? - Correct Answer
✔✔ Having storytelling hours- clients who like to retell stories or past events need to be
provided time to do so. It is a way for the older adult to relive and restructure life
experiences and is a part of achieving ego identity.
The home care nurse is performing an environmental assessment in the home of an
older adult. Which of the following requires immediate nursing action?
Unsecured scattered rugs, operable smoke detector, or prefilled medication cassette? -
Correct Answer ✔✔ Unsecured scattered rugs- trauma to the older client in the home
may be caused by a variety of factors. These include unsteady gait, the presence of
unsecured scatter rugs, clattered passageways, and inoperable smoke detectors.
The nurse is teaching an older client about measures to prevent constipation. What
statement made by the client indicates further teaching is needed?
-"I'll walk 1-2 miles everyday"
-"I need to decrease fiber in my diet"
-"I have a bowel movement everyday"
-"I drink 6-8 glasses of water everyday" - Correct Answer ✔✔ "I need to decrease fiber
in my diet" -Adequate dietary fiber is an important factor in aiding bowel function.
Dietary fiber increases fecal weight and water content and accelerates the transit of
fecal mass through the GI tract.
,Define Ageism. - Correct Answer ✔✔ Ageism is a form of prejudice in which older
adults are stereotyped by characteristics found in only a few members of their group.
Fundamental to ageism is the view that older persons are different from "me" and will
remain different from "me." Therefore, they are portrayed as not experiencing the same
desires, needs, and concerns.
The nurse is providing medication instructions to an older client who is taking digoxin
(Lanoxin) daily. What age related body changes could place the client at risk for digoxin
toxicity? - Correct Answer ✔✔ Decreased lean body mass and decreased glomerular
filtration rate.
The nurse employed in a long term care facility is caring for an older male client. What
nursing action contributes to encouraging autonomy in the client?
-Planning meals -Scheduling appts
-Decorating his room -He chooses activities - Correct Answer ✔✔ Client choosing own
activities. Autonomy is the personal freedom to direct one's own life as long as it does
not impinge on the rights of others. An autonomous person is capable of rational
thought.
The home care nurse is visiting an older female client whose husband died 6 months
ago. What behavior by the client indicates ineffective coping?
- Neglect personal grooming
-Looking at old pictures
-Participating in senior citizens' program
-Visiting her husband's grave - Correct Answer ✔✔ Neglecting personal grooming.
Coping mechanisms are behaviors used to decrease anxiety and stress. In response to
death, ineffective coping is manifested by an extreme behavior that in some cases may
be harmful to the individual.
The nurse is providing instructions to a nursing assistant regarding care of an older
client with hearing loss. The nurse tells the assistant that clients with a hear loss: -
Correct Answer ✔✔ Respond to low pitched tones. Prebycusis refers to the age related
irreversible degenerative changes of the inner eat that lead to decreased hearing ability.
As a result of these changes, the older client has a decreased response to high
frequency sounds. Low pitched voice tones are heard more easily and can be
interpreted by the older client.
The nurse is providing an educational session to new employees, and the topic is abuse
of the older adult. The nurse helps the employees identify that which client is most
typical of a victim of abuse?
- 75 y.o man with moderate hypertension
- 68 y.o man with newly dx cataracts
, - 90 y.o woman with advanced Parkinson's dz
-70 y.o woman with early dx Lyme dz - Correct Answer ✔✔ 90 y.o woman with
advanced Parkinson's dz. Elder abuse is widespread and occurs among all subgroups
of the population. Elder abuse includes physical and psychological abuse, misuse of
property, and violation of rights. The typical abuse victim is a woman of advanced age
with few social contacts and at least one physical or mental impairment that limits her
ability to perform activities of daily living.
The nurse is performing an assessment on an older client who is having difficulty
sleeping at night. What statement by the client indicates education is needed on
improving sleep?
-"I swim 3 times a week"
-"I have stopped smoking cigars."
-"I drink hot chocolate before bed"
-"I read for 40 min at bedtime." - Correct Answer ✔✔ "I drink hot chocolate before bed"
Many nonpharmacological sleep aids can be used to influence sleep. The client should
avoid caffeinated beverages and stimulants such as tea, cola, and chocolate. The client
should exercise regularly, because exercise promotes sleep by burning off tension that
accumulates during the day. The client should sleep on a firm mattress. Smoking and
alcohol should be avoided. The client should also avoid large meals, peanuts, beans,
fruit and raw veggies that produce gas, and snacks high in fat that are difficult to digest.
The visiting nurse observes that the older male client is confined by his daughter to his
room. When the nurse suggests that he walk into the den and join everyone, he says
"I'm in everyone's way, my daughter needs me to stay here." The most important action
for the nurse is to: - Correct Answer ✔✔ Suggest appropriate resources to the client
and daughter-in-law, such as respite care and a senior citizens' center. Assisting clients
and families to become aware of available community support systems is a role and
responsibility of the nurse.
Gerontologic Specialty Certification - Correct Answer ✔✔ The number of older people
continues to increase; the need for specialized knowledge becomes even more critical
in every specialty and every health care setting; In 1974, geriatric nursing was the first
certification program offered by the ANA and nursing was the first professional group to
develop standards of care and certification in the field of gerontology
Define the Neuroendocrine Theory. - Correct Answer ✔✔ Based on the integration of
the neuroendocrine and immune systems; emphasis is on the programmed deaths of
the immune cells from damage caused by the increase of free radicals as aging
progresses; the reduced T cells are thought to be responsible for hastening the age-
related changes caused by autoimmune reaction as the body battles itself; healthy cells
are mistaken for foreign substances and are attacked.
