STUDY GUIDE for Care of Older Adult Objective Assessment
Exam questions are taken from the Learning Objectives under the 9 Competencies:
#1 Competency 742.1.1: Compassionate and Respectful Care of Older Adults
The graduate integrates principles of compassion and respect for patients and their families into the
planning and delivery of care to a diverse population of older adults and into advocacy for vulnerable older
adults.
This topic addresses the following learning objectives:
Recognize the impact of attitudes, values, and expectations about aging.
Describe how the RN’s personal beliefs and values may impact the care of older adults.
Articulate the concept of individualized care as the standard of practice with older adults,
considering the right care, at the right time, in the right place and by the right provider of care.
Define Baby Boomers
What are the five racial groups listed in your text?
How would you perform discharge teaching to an Hispanic patient
o Apply effective and respectful communication strategies in the care of older adults and
their families.
List some of the changes of aging that could affect therapeutic communication
Note the ways to communicate or assist a patient with disabilities such as hearing
deficits, vision impairments, or aphasia and dysarthria. Be familiar with the types
of hearing devices. How should you address the older adult during therapeutic
communication?
Know the abbreviations or acronyms, such as AAC. Know which hearing aids cover
the widest range of hearing loss. See the box on Types of Hearing Aids in chapter
5. Both hearing aids and AAC will be mentioned again in Chapter 16.
Make sure you understand what patients could benefit from the use of
the AAC.
Understand what things can occur to make it difficult to communicate
Which type of hearing aid covers the entire range of hearing loss?
What factors in a diverse aging population affect communication?
o Support individual health goals that range from healthy activities to simply achieving
comfort.
o Illustrate compassionate and individualized care for older adults with chronic illness that
reduces symptom burden and seeks to preserve quality of life.
#2 Competency 742.1.2: Health Promotion/Maintenance and Living Environments of Older
Adults
The graduate evaluates the older adults' lifeworld with special awareness of the diversity among the health
status of older adults, individualizing care according to the physical, mental/cognitive, functional, and
, psychosocial well-being of an elder patient, along with support systems in place. *You will notice that
Competencies two through five overlap one another. Some of the information for one topic may be found
in another topic or another competency. Don’t become frustrated. It will all come together.
This topic addresses the following learning objectives:
Identify functional and physical changes in the aging adult that would necessitate changes to the
living environment.
Identify cognitive, psychological, and social changes common to the aging adult that would
necessitate changes to the living environment.
Recognize steps to mitigate common physical safety issues.
Analyze the living environment of a given older adult with special awareness of the functional,
physical, cognitive, psychological, and social changes of aging.
What are the five A’s to tobacco cessation?
What are the Five R’s to tobacco cessation?
What is the criterion for the pneumococcal vaccine?
In most cases of elder abuse who is the perpetrator?
What 5 areas do Healthy People 2010 and the USPSTF suggest that nurses focus on to promote
health & prevent disability in the older adult? (see page 356 in text)
Describe the difference between ADLs and IADLs (instrumental activities of daily living)
List the nutritional assessment tests to determine risk for diet-related chronic illness (see text
page 359)
Review the USPSTF Screening Recommendations for Older Adults, Table 12-1 on page 376 in text.
Review the I HATE FALLING risk assessment tool, Box 12-4 on page 361. What can the nurse
recommend to reduce risk of falling?
#3 Competency 742.1.3: Health Needs of Older Adults
The graduate effectively collaborates with patients, families and inter-professional team members in
planning primary, secondary, tertiary and end-of-life care that addresses older adults' physical, mental,
psychosocial and spiritual needs and preferences and responses to changes in health status and related
treatments.
This topic addresses the following learning objectives:
Identify how the physiological changes of aging affect the organs involved in absorption and
excretion of medications
Recognize functional changes and mobility issues that may threaten independence in the older
adult.
Identify factors that may contribute to alterations in nutrition, metabolism, and elimination in
older adults.
Exam questions are taken from the Learning Objectives under the 9 Competencies:
#1 Competency 742.1.1: Compassionate and Respectful Care of Older Adults
The graduate integrates principles of compassion and respect for patients and their families into the
planning and delivery of care to a diverse population of older adults and into advocacy for vulnerable older
adults.
This topic addresses the following learning objectives:
Recognize the impact of attitudes, values, and expectations about aging.
Describe how the RN’s personal beliefs and values may impact the care of older adults.
Articulate the concept of individualized care as the standard of practice with older adults,
considering the right care, at the right time, in the right place and by the right provider of care.
Define Baby Boomers
What are the five racial groups listed in your text?
How would you perform discharge teaching to an Hispanic patient
o Apply effective and respectful communication strategies in the care of older adults and
their families.
List some of the changes of aging that could affect therapeutic communication
Note the ways to communicate or assist a patient with disabilities such as hearing
deficits, vision impairments, or aphasia and dysarthria. Be familiar with the types
of hearing devices. How should you address the older adult during therapeutic
communication?
Know the abbreviations or acronyms, such as AAC. Know which hearing aids cover
the widest range of hearing loss. See the box on Types of Hearing Aids in chapter
5. Both hearing aids and AAC will be mentioned again in Chapter 16.
Make sure you understand what patients could benefit from the use of
the AAC.
Understand what things can occur to make it difficult to communicate
Which type of hearing aid covers the entire range of hearing loss?
What factors in a diverse aging population affect communication?
o Support individual health goals that range from healthy activities to simply achieving
comfort.
o Illustrate compassionate and individualized care for older adults with chronic illness that
reduces symptom burden and seeks to preserve quality of life.
#2 Competency 742.1.2: Health Promotion/Maintenance and Living Environments of Older
Adults
The graduate evaluates the older adults' lifeworld with special awareness of the diversity among the health
status of older adults, individualizing care according to the physical, mental/cognitive, functional, and
, psychosocial well-being of an elder patient, along with support systems in place. *You will notice that
Competencies two through five overlap one another. Some of the information for one topic may be found
in another topic or another competency. Don’t become frustrated. It will all come together.
This topic addresses the following learning objectives:
Identify functional and physical changes in the aging adult that would necessitate changes to the
living environment.
Identify cognitive, psychological, and social changes common to the aging adult that would
necessitate changes to the living environment.
Recognize steps to mitigate common physical safety issues.
Analyze the living environment of a given older adult with special awareness of the functional,
physical, cognitive, psychological, and social changes of aging.
What are the five A’s to tobacco cessation?
What are the Five R’s to tobacco cessation?
What is the criterion for the pneumococcal vaccine?
In most cases of elder abuse who is the perpetrator?
What 5 areas do Healthy People 2010 and the USPSTF suggest that nurses focus on to promote
health & prevent disability in the older adult? (see page 356 in text)
Describe the difference between ADLs and IADLs (instrumental activities of daily living)
List the nutritional assessment tests to determine risk for diet-related chronic illness (see text
page 359)
Review the USPSTF Screening Recommendations for Older Adults, Table 12-1 on page 376 in text.
Review the I HATE FALLING risk assessment tool, Box 12-4 on page 361. What can the nurse
recommend to reduce risk of falling?
#3 Competency 742.1.3: Health Needs of Older Adults
The graduate effectively collaborates with patients, families and inter-professional team members in
planning primary, secondary, tertiary and end-of-life care that addresses older adults' physical, mental,
psychosocial and spiritual needs and preferences and responses to changes in health status and related
treatments.
This topic addresses the following learning objectives:
Identify how the physiological changes of aging affect the organs involved in absorption and
excretion of medications
Recognize functional changes and mobility issues that may threaten independence in the older
adult.
Identify factors that may contribute to alterations in nutrition, metabolism, and elimination in
older adults.
