Question

Difficulty: MediumSelf-Care

A community health nurse is developing a comprehensive self-care and health maintenance plan for an 84-year-old client with mild cognitive decline who lives with family. Which actions by the nurse are appropriate? Select all that apply.

  1. Organize the client's daily grooming supplies in a consistent, visible location.Answer
  2. Allow the client extra time to complete bathing tasks independently.Answer
  3. Implement the use of a large-print, color-coded pill organizer for daily medications.Answer
  4. D
    Delegate the initial evaluation of the client's transfer safety to the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP).
  5. E
    Inform the family that the client's sudden onset of severe confusion is a normal physiological change of aging.
  6. F
    Discontinue primary prevention strategies, such as immunizations, due to the client's advanced age.

Answer

The nurse should organize grooming supplies in a consistent location, allow extra time for independent bathing, and implement a large-print, color-coded pill organizer.
The correct interventions focus on maximizing the client's remaining capabilities and adapting the environment to support independence. Organizing grooming supplies in a consistent location and using a color-coded pill organizer compensate for mild cognitive decline by simplifying tasks. Furthermore, allowing the client extra time to complete bathing independently prevents premature dependence and preserves their functional status.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the client's profile and the goal of care.
The client is 84 years old with mild cognitive decline, and the goal is to promote self-care and health maintenance.
Understanding the client's baseline and goals directs appropriate nursing interventions.
2
Evaluate each proposed intervention for safety, appropriateness, and promotion of independence.
Environmental consistency, adaptive devices, and allowing extra time directly support self-care. Conversely, sudden confusion requires medical evaluation, initial assessments cannot be delegated, and vaccines are still necessary.
Nursing actions must align with evidence-based practice, proper delegation rules, and gerontological standards.

Key Concept

Promoting self-care and independence in older adults requires adaptive strategies while maintaining safety, accurate assessment of acute changes, and proper delegation.
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