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Difficulty: MediumSupport Systems

A home health nurse is visiting a client with early-onset Alzheimer's disease who is being cared for at home by their spouse. The spouse appears fatigued, tearful, and states, "I feel completely isolated. My friends have stopped visiting, and I have to do everything myself. I do not know how much longer I can handle this alone." Which of the following is the priority nursing intervention?

  1. Collaborate with the spouse to identify available community resources and facilitate a referral for respite care.Answer
  2. B
    Reassure the spouse that these feelings of isolation are a normal part of the process and will resolve over time.
  3. C
    Conduct a comprehensive physical and neurological assessment of the client before addressing the spouse's concerns.
  4. D
    Recommend that the spouse delegate the client's daily personal care tasks to their school-aged children to reduce the workload.

Answer

The priority intervention is to collaborate with the spouse to identify community resources and facilitate a referral for respite care.
The caregiver is expressing severe role strain, fatigue, and isolation, which threatens the stability of the client's home care environment. The priority intervention is to support the caregiver by identifying and initiating referrals to community resources, such as respite care. This directly strengthens the family's support system and provides the caregiver with much-needed temporary relief.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the clinical scenario to identify the primary issue.
The primary issue is acute caregiver role strain and a collapsed support system, rather than an immediate physical change in the client.
Identifying the root cause of the immediate crisis dictates the priority nursing action.
2
Evaluate the proposed interventions against the immediate need.
The caregiver requires immediate psychosocial support and tangible assistance to prevent burnout and ensure the client's continued safety at home.
Nursing care must encompass the family unit, especially when the primary caregiver is exhibiting signs of exhaustion and inability to cope.
3
Select the most therapeutic and effective action.
Connecting the spouse with respite care and community resources directly addresses the lack of support.
Respite care provides temporary relief for caregivers, which is essential for maintaining the long-term support system of the client.

Key Concept

Caregiver Support Systems and Role Strain
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Topics

Support Systems

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