EXAM 1 GERONTOLOGY NURSING
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS(RATED
A+)
What does the term geriatric mean? - ANSWERRelates to medicine and does not
describe nursing care of older adults.
Gerontology - ANSWERthe scientific study of the aging process and problems of
aged persons (includes biologic, sociologic, psycholgic, and economic aspects)
What are some of the roles a generalist nurse can have? - ANSWER- Generalist
Nurse functions in a variety of settings (primary care, acute care, home care, post-
acute, long-term care, and the community) providing nursing care to individuals and
their families.
- Roles of nurses caring for older adults include direct care provider, care manager,
discharge planner, care coordinator, transitional care, and leadership and
management positions
What are some of the responsibilites of being a specialist nurse? - ANSWERA
gerontological nurse specialist has advanced preparation at the master's level and
performs all functions of a generalist but has developed advanced clinical expertise,
as well as an understanding of health and social policy and proficiency in planning,
implementing and evaluating health programs.
What is the nursing goal in old adults? - ANSWERPromote wellness and belives that
every person has an optimal level of health independent of their situation or
functional ability.
What is ageism? - ANSWERrefers to prejudice, sterotyping against a particular age
group especially older adults.
What are some examples of unintentional agesim in language and what are some of
it's effects? - ANSWER1. Use of generalization terms such as sweet old lady, little
old lady, geezer.
2. In the hospital setting referring to someone as a fossil, bed blocker (a debilitated
person in the hopsital waiting for a bed in a nursing home), or GOMER (get out of my
emergency room)
3. Speaking in exaggerated pitch, demeaning emotional tone, lower quality of
speech, "baby talk".
Consequences: Reduced sense of self, lower self-esteem, lower sense of self
competence, decreased memory performance.
What are the two main gerontological nursing roles? - ANSWERGeneralist or a
Specialist
, What are some terms that are used to distingush an older adult? -
ANSWERFunctional
Social
Biological
Chronological
What is biological aging? - ANSWERIs a complex and continuous process involving
every cell in the body. The physical and biological traits by which we identify one as
"older" (e.g., gray hair, wrinkled skin) are referred to as the aging phenotype and are
the external expression of one's individual genetic makeup and internal changes.
What is chronological aging? - ANSWERMay be used alone or combined with either
social or biological aging. In most developed countries chronological late life is
recognized as beginning sometime between 50 and 65 years of age.
Who are supercentenarians? - ANSWERPeople who live until at least 110 years of
age.
Current research finds that many long-lived persons do not smoke, are not obese,
and handle stress well. They are less likely than others to develop a number of
chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.
Who are centenarians? - ANSWERPeoeple who are between 100 and 109 years of
age. Many centenarians had all or most of the "childhood" diseases, such as
measles, mumps, chickenpox, and whooping cough; some lived through polio as
children.
Who are "those in between"? - ANSWERWere born in the years between 1920 and
1945 (between those referred to as the baby boomers and the centenarians)
Who are the "baby boomers"? - ANSWERThe people who were born between 1946
and 1964.
The baby boomers of today have better access to medication and other treatment
regimens than previous cohorts in many parts of the world.
Although they have high rates of chronic conditions, today's baby boomers will,
nevertheless, live longer with these chronic diseases than any of their predecessors.
How is cognitive ability affected in physical health?
How is cognitive ability assessed? - ANSWERCognitive ability is easily threatened
by any disturbance in physical health such as fluid electrolyte disturbance.
Mini-Mental Exam
Montreal Cognition Assessment
The Clock Drawing Test
How is mood assessed in older adults? How can depression occur? - ANSWERThe
GDS(Geriatric Depression Scale). Depression occurs as a side effect of a
medication or develops in association with several health conditions, including stroke
and Parkinson's disease.
What are the two categories of activities of older adults?
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS(RATED
A+)
What does the term geriatric mean? - ANSWERRelates to medicine and does not
describe nursing care of older adults.
Gerontology - ANSWERthe scientific study of the aging process and problems of
aged persons (includes biologic, sociologic, psycholgic, and economic aspects)
What are some of the roles a generalist nurse can have? - ANSWER- Generalist
Nurse functions in a variety of settings (primary care, acute care, home care, post-
acute, long-term care, and the community) providing nursing care to individuals and
their families.
- Roles of nurses caring for older adults include direct care provider, care manager,
discharge planner, care coordinator, transitional care, and leadership and
management positions
What are some of the responsibilites of being a specialist nurse? - ANSWERA
gerontological nurse specialist has advanced preparation at the master's level and
performs all functions of a generalist but has developed advanced clinical expertise,
as well as an understanding of health and social policy and proficiency in planning,
implementing and evaluating health programs.
What is the nursing goal in old adults? - ANSWERPromote wellness and belives that
every person has an optimal level of health independent of their situation or
functional ability.
What is ageism? - ANSWERrefers to prejudice, sterotyping against a particular age
group especially older adults.
What are some examples of unintentional agesim in language and what are some of
it's effects? - ANSWER1. Use of generalization terms such as sweet old lady, little
old lady, geezer.
2. In the hospital setting referring to someone as a fossil, bed blocker (a debilitated
person in the hopsital waiting for a bed in a nursing home), or GOMER (get out of my
emergency room)
3. Speaking in exaggerated pitch, demeaning emotional tone, lower quality of
speech, "baby talk".
Consequences: Reduced sense of self, lower self-esteem, lower sense of self
competence, decreased memory performance.
What are the two main gerontological nursing roles? - ANSWERGeneralist or a
Specialist
, What are some terms that are used to distingush an older adult? -
ANSWERFunctional
Social
Biological
Chronological
What is biological aging? - ANSWERIs a complex and continuous process involving
every cell in the body. The physical and biological traits by which we identify one as
"older" (e.g., gray hair, wrinkled skin) are referred to as the aging phenotype and are
the external expression of one's individual genetic makeup and internal changes.
What is chronological aging? - ANSWERMay be used alone or combined with either
social or biological aging. In most developed countries chronological late life is
recognized as beginning sometime between 50 and 65 years of age.
Who are supercentenarians? - ANSWERPeople who live until at least 110 years of
age.
Current research finds that many long-lived persons do not smoke, are not obese,
and handle stress well. They are less likely than others to develop a number of
chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.
Who are centenarians? - ANSWERPeoeple who are between 100 and 109 years of
age. Many centenarians had all or most of the "childhood" diseases, such as
measles, mumps, chickenpox, and whooping cough; some lived through polio as
children.
Who are "those in between"? - ANSWERWere born in the years between 1920 and
1945 (between those referred to as the baby boomers and the centenarians)
Who are the "baby boomers"? - ANSWERThe people who were born between 1946
and 1964.
The baby boomers of today have better access to medication and other treatment
regimens than previous cohorts in many parts of the world.
Although they have high rates of chronic conditions, today's baby boomers will,
nevertheless, live longer with these chronic diseases than any of their predecessors.
How is cognitive ability affected in physical health?
How is cognitive ability assessed? - ANSWERCognitive ability is easily threatened
by any disturbance in physical health such as fluid electrolyte disturbance.
Mini-Mental Exam
Montreal Cognition Assessment
The Clock Drawing Test
How is mood assessed in older adults? How can depression occur? - ANSWERThe
GDS(Geriatric Depression Scale). Depression occurs as a side effect of a
medication or develops in association with several health conditions, including stroke
and Parkinson's disease.
What are the two categories of activities of older adults?
