HPA1 Final

A family of a patient with Alzheimer's disease asks the nurse what causes this condition? Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?

"Evidence shows that there are changes in nerve cells and brain chemicals."

A nurse has just finished a presentation on hospice and palliative care. Which statement by a participant would indicate a need for further education?

"In hospice care, the nurses make most of the care decisions for the clients."

The family of an older adult reports increasing inability to perform basic activities of daily living. After evaluation, the client is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. What intervention will be implemented to slow cognitive decline?

Cholinesterase inhibitors

Medicare and Medicaid hospice benefit criteria allow clients with a life expectancy of 6 months or less to be admitted to hospice. However, the median length of stay in a hospice program is just 21.3 days. Which reason explains the underuse of hospice care services?

Clients and families view palliative care as giving up

What barrier to end-of-life care does a dying client demonstrate with the statement, "I don't need hospice. Hospice is for people who are dying."

Denial

The hospice nurse is caring for a client who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The client breaks down in tears and shares with the nurse "I should just end it now so my kids can start moving on with their lives. They will be better off without me. When they come to visit tomorrow, just tell them I'm not up for visitors." The nurse understands the client is in which stage of the grief process?

Depression

A client has recently brought her elderly mother home to live with her family. The client states that her mother has moderate Alzheimer's disease and asks about appropriate activities for her mother. The nurse tells the client to

Ensure that the mother does not have access to car keys or drive an automobile.

An elderly client is becoming progressively confused due to Alzheimer's disease. The family can no longer manage the client at home due to wandering. Which of the following living arrangements could the nurse recommend?

Extended-care facility

A client is diagnosed with a terminal illness and has been given less than 6 months to live. What type of referral should the nurse make to assist this patient and family at home?

Hospice

The nurse working on a hospice unit is giving an in-service on the importance of faith and religion in client care. What does the nurse tell the group is a benefit of religious fellowship?

It offers support for the client.

A client with end-stage pancreatic cancer has decided to terminate medical intervention. What should a nurse anticipate when consulting with palliative care?

referral for bereavement counseling

palliative care

care that will reduce the client's physical discomfort and manage clinical symptoms.

A 16-year-old client has been injured in an accident and is receiving home care due to fractures and multiple trauma-related injuries. The client states, "I don't know why I survived and not my best friend." It is most important for the home care nurse to encourage the client to:

communicate these feelings to family and friends.

A nurse is educating a client's family on Alzheimer's disease. Which statement by the nurse would cause the charge nurse to intervene?

"Routine administration of donepezil at the same time every day can cure the disease."

A client with Alzheimer's disease is prescribed donepezil hydrochloride. When teaching the client and family about this drug, which of the following would the nurse include?

"The drug helps to control the symptoms of the disease."

A nurse is caring for a client with dementia. A family member of the client asks what the most common cause of dementia is. Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?

"The most common cause of dementia in the elderly is Alzheimer's disease."

A nurse is admitting a client to the palliative unit and discussing advanced directives. Which statement made by the client leads the nurse to believe the client requires clarification around advanced directives?

"This will stop my daughter-in-law from putting me in a home."

A client was found wandering in a local park, unable to state who or where the client is or where the client lives. The client is brought to the emergency department, where an identification is eventually made. The client's spouse states that client was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 3 years earlier and has experienced increasing memory loss. The spouse reports worry about how to continue to care for the client. Which response by the nurse is most helpful?

"What aspect of caring for your spouse is causing you the greatest concern?"

The nurse at a long-term care facility is assessing each of the residents. Which resident most likely faces the greatest risk for aspiration?

A resident who suffered a severe stroke several weeks ago

A nurse who works in the specialty of palliative care frequently encounters issues and situations that constitute ethical dilemmas. What issue has most often presented challenging ethical issues, especially in the context of palliative care?

Ability of technology to prolong life beyond meaningful quality of life

A client is in a hospice receiving palliative care for lung cancer which has metastasized to the client's liver and bones. For the past several hours, the client has been experiencing dyspnea. What nursing action is most appropriate?

Administer bronchodilators and corticosteroids, as prescribed.

A client with end-stage lung cancer has been admitted to hospice care. The hospice team is meeting with the client and her family to establish goals for care. What is likely to be a first priority in goal setting for the client?

Pain control

A client with moderate Alzheimer's disease has been eating poorly, losing weight, and playing with food at meals. The nurse best intervenes by

Placing one food at a time in front of the client during meals

A client diagnosed with cervical cancer will soon begin a round of radiation therapy. When planning the client's subsequent care, the nurse should prioritize actions with what goal?

Protecting the safety of the client, family, and staff

The client is 42 years old, married, and has two children, ages 16 and 18. The client is also caring for the client's parent, who is in the late stages of Alzheimer's disease. The nurse would want to assess the client for what?

Signs of stress

The hospice nurse is caring for a 45-year-old mother of three young children in the patient's home. During the most recent visit, the nurse has observed that the patient has a new onset of altered mental status, likely resulting from recently diagnosed brain metastases. What goal of nursing interventions should the nurse identify?

Teaching family members how to interact with, and ensure safety for, the patient with impaired cognition

A nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Diagnostic testing reveals that the cancer has spread outside the pelvis. The client has previously undergone a right oophorectomy and received chemotherapy. The client now wants palliative care instead of aggressive therapy. The nurse determines that the care plan's priority nursing diagnosis should be:

acute pain.

A hospice nurse has developed a care plan for a client with liver cancer. The care plan focuses on providing palliative care for this client. The goal of palliative care is best described as providing clients with life-threatening illnesses a dignified quality of life through which means?

aggressive management of symptoms

A nurse is assessing a client diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. As part of the assessment, the nurse asks the client to identify common objects. The nurse is assessing for what?

Agnosia

A medical nurse is providing palliative care to a client with a diagnosis of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). What is the primary goal of this nurse's care?

improve the client's and family's quality of life

A client with stage II Alzheimer's disease is admitted to the short stay unit after cardiac catheterization that involved a femoral puncture. The client is reminded to keep their leg straight. A knee immobilizer is applied, but the client repeatedly attempts to remove it. The nurse is responsible for three other clients who underwent cardiac catheterization. What's the best step the nurse can take?

Ask the staffing coordinator to assign a nursing assistant to sit with the client.

Which is a true statement regarding hospice care?

Clients have a life expectancy of 6 months or less.

A nurse is providing hospice care in Portland, Oregon to a client with terminal liver cancer. The client confides to the nurse, "I'm in agony all the time. I want this to be over now—please help me." Which interventions should the nurse implement? Select all that apply.

Control the client's pain with prescribed medication. Advise the client's health care provider of the client's condition. Encourage the client to explain his or her wishes.

To encourage adequate nutritional intake for a client with Alzheimer's disease, a nurse should

stay with the client and encourage them to eat.

While providing palliative care to a client in the home setting, the client's family expresses concern that the client is receiving "too much narcotic medication." Which statement is the most therapeutic response by the nurse?

"You are concerned that the client is receiving too much narcotic medication?"