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Section 1: Geriatric Assessment & Polypharmacy (Questions 1–35)
1. A nurse is assessing an older adult. Which approach is most appropriate?
A) Assume all abnormal findings are due to aging.
B) Compare findings with the individual's baseline and current health status.
C) Focus only on the chief complaint.
D) Avoid asking about functional ability.
Correct Answer: B) Compare findings with the individual's baseline and current
health status.
Older adults have substantial individual variation. Assessment must distinguish expected
aging changes from illness by considering baseline function and current findings.
2. Which screening tool alerts the nurse to six common geriatric health problems:
Sleep disorders, Problems with eating, Incontinence, Confusion, Evidence of falls,
and Skin breakdown?
A) Katz Index
B) Mini-Mental State Examination
,C) SPICES tool
D) Lawton IADL Scale
Correct Answer: C) SPICES tool
The SPICES tool (Fulmer) is designed as an alert system for these six frequently occurring
health problems in older adults.
3. Which activities are considered basic activities of daily living (ADLs)?
A) Managing finances and shopping
B) Bathing, dressing, toileting, and feeding
C) Using a computer and telephone
D) Managing investments and transportation
Correct Answer: B) Bathing, dressing, toileting, and feeding
Basic ADLs include fundamental self-care tasks: bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring,
continence, and eating.
4. Managing medications, shopping, and preparing meals are examples of which type
of functional activity?
A) Basic ADLs
B) Instrumental ADLs (IADLs)
C) Advanced ADLs
D) Functional mobility
Correct Answer: B) Instrumental ADLs (IADLs)
IADLs are complex skills needed for independent community living, including medication
management, finances, shopping, and transportation.
,5. An older adult can bathe and dress independently but cannot manage medications
or finances. How should the nurse interpret this?
A) The client is completely dependent.
B) Basic ADLs are preserved, but some IADLs are impaired.
C) The client has no functional limitations.
D) The client necessarily has dementia.
Correct Answer: B) Basic ADLs are preserved, but some IADLs are impaired.
IADL impairment can occur before basic self-care abilities are lost and does not by itself
establish a dementia diagnosis.
6. Which assessment tool is most appropriate for evaluating basic ADLs?
A) Lawton IADL Scale
B) Katz Index of Independence in ADLs
C) Braden Scale
D) Mini-Cog
Correct Answer: B) Katz Index of Independence in ADLs
The Katz Index evaluates six basic ADLs: bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring,
continence, and feeding.
7. Which assessment tool evaluates IADLs?
A) Katz Index
B) MMSE
C) Lawton IADL Scale
D) Braden Scale
Correct Answer: C) Lawton IADL Scale
The Lawton IADL Scale measures complex skills for independent community living.
, 8. A nurse is caring for an 80-year-old patient who reports a recent onset of
constipation. Which age-related physiological change is the most significant
contributing factor?
A) Increased intestinal motility
B) Decreased gastric acid secretion
C) Reduced muscle tone in the gastrointestinal tract
D) Increased production of digestive enzymes
Correct Answer: C) Reduced muscle tone in the gastrointestinal tract
Age-related changes include decreased muscle tone and peristalsis in the GI tract,
contributing to constipation.
9. Which finding requires further assessment rather than being attributed to normal
aging?
A) Mildly slower movement
B) Progressive inability to perform familiar daily activities
C) Gray hair
D) Decreased skin elasticity
Correct Answer: B) Progressive inability to perform familiar daily activities
Progressive functional decline may indicate illness or a developing pathologic process and
should not be dismissed as normal aging.
10. Polypharmacy is most accurately defined as:
A) The prescribing of multiple drugs to treat the same condition only
B) The use of five or more medications, increasing risk for drug interactions and adverse
events