Theories Related to the Older Adult

Every question here, with the answer

1. A nurse is caring for a 78-year-old client who says, "I wasted my life. I keep thinking about what I should have done differently." Which interpretation best guides the nurse’s response?

   1. The client has achieved self-actualization because life review is complete.
   2. The client is demonstrating the activity theory need for group fitness activities.
   3. The client may be struggling with Erikson’s ego integrity versus despair task.
   4. The client is mainly showing age stratification related to employment roles.

   Answer: The client may be struggling with Erikson’s ego integrity versus despair task.

   Erikson’s late adulthood task is ego integrity versus despair, and the client’s focus on regret suggests difficulty with this task. The nurse should respond with individualized, respectful support rather than assuming the issue is activity level, employment status, or completed self-actualization.

2. A family member asks why the nurse encourages an older adult to attend a social group of his choice instead of accepting that withdrawal is a normal part of aging. Which response is most consistent with the section?

   1. Disengagement is currently accepted as involuntary and inevitable for all older adults.
   2. Older men should focus only on work roles, while older women should focus only on family roles.
   3. Older adults must withdraw from society before nursing care can be individualized.
   4. Later research supports engagement and activity rather than withdrawal as the basis for aging well.

   Answer: Later research supports engagement and activity rather than withdrawal as the basis for aging well.

   The disengagement theory described withdrawal as natural, but the section explains that later research shifted toward engagement and activity. The other options reflect criticized or outdated assumptions rather than currently accepted individualized views of aging.

3. An older adult in a long-term care facility spends most of the day alone in the room but says, "I still like doing things for myself when I can." Which care-plan action best applies the activity theory?

   1. Teach that happiness depends on withdrawing from previous social roles.
   2. Encourage withdrawal from social norms to increase personal freedom.
   3. Limit movement because reduced activity is an expected goal of aging.
   4. Encourage safe independent activities of daily living and offer appropriate group activities.

   Answer: Encourage safe independent activities of daily living and offer appropriate group activities.

   Activity theory supports activity and social involvement as important to well-being in older adulthood. In long-term care, the section specifically identifies independent ADLs and group activities as ways to maintain physical movement.

4. An older adult receiving hospice care needs help with bathing and hydration and asks to see family members and a spiritual leader. Which nursing actions reflect the section’s use of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? Select all that apply.

   1. Provide care that supports self-esteem and security at the end of life.
   2. Encourage connection with spiritual leaders as desired.
   3. Provide nursing care for physiological needs.
   4. Treat Maslow’s hierarchy as a rigid progressive checklist.
   5. Delay belonging and self-esteem support until all physiological needs are permanently resolved.

   Answer: Provide care that supports self-esteem and security at the end of life., Encourage connection with spiritual leaders as desired., Provide nursing care for physiological needs.

   The section explains that hospice care may require attention to physiological needs while also supporting self-esteem, security, and belonging. Maslow’s hierarchy is described as fluid, so the nurse should not delay psychosocial and spiritual support until physiological needs are completely resolved.

5. During a staff meeting about caring for older adults, which statements show an understanding of the limits of age stratification theory? Select all that apply.

   1. Gender may influence how stratification is experienced.
   2. If two patients are in the same age cohort, their social norms will be essentially the same.
   3. I should not use age alone to explain a patient’s behavior.
   4. Age stratification fully explains role expectations better than cultural factors.
   5. Socioeconomic status and geographic location may also play a role.

   Answer: Gender may influence how stratification is experienced., I should not use age alone to explain a patient’s behavior., Socioeconomic status and geographic location may also play a role.

   The section cautions nurses that age stratification rarely explains behavior or social norms by itself. Nurses should consider other factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and culture rather than assuming all people in an age group behave the same way.

6. A nurse is planning a family health program involving grandparents who provide care for grandchildren. Which outcomes are potential benefits of healthy grandparent-grandchild relationships? Select all that apply.

   1. Ensuring grandparents no longer need community support
   2. Building self-esteem
   3. Providing mentorship
   4. Encouraging family values
   5. Dispelling ideas related to ageism

   Answer: Building self-esteem, Providing mentorship, Encouraging family values, Dispelling ideas related to ageism

   The section lists several benefits of healthy grandparent-grandchild relationships, including family values, mentorship, self-esteem, respect, and reduced fear or ageist ideas. It does not state that these relationships eliminate the need for community support.