Notes on Aging and Patient Care

These flashcards summarize key concepts, definitions, and important information regarding aging, patient care, and nursing ethics, helping to prepare for the exam.

What is Advocacy in nursing?

Supporting the patient’s cause.

What is Accountability in nursing?

Answering for one’s actions.

What is the first step in resolving an ethical issue?

Ask the question: is this an ethical problem?

What are the three components of the process of normal sensation?

Reception, perception, and reaction.

What are signs of perceptual dysfunction in older adults?

Alterations in spatial orientation and visual/motor coordination.

What causes Conductive hearing loss?

It is often caused by issues in the outer or middle ear.

What is Xerostomia?

Dry mouth that can change appetite.

What is the vision pathway?

Light rays pass from the cornea to the optic nerve, adjusting through the pupil and lens to focus on the retina.

What are ototoxic medications?

Certain antibiotics that can cause hearing loss

What is Presbycusis?

Hearing loss due to old age.

What is the most common cause of vision loss in older adults?

Cataracts, which cause cloudiness of the lens.

What is polypharmacy?

The concurrent use of many medications, typically more than five.

What is gerontology?

The study of aging and older adults.

What is professional comportment in nursing?

A nurse's professional behavior demonstrated through words, actions, and presence.

What is the Fulmer SPICES acronym?

S: Sleep disorders, P: Problems with eating or feeding, I: Incontinence, C: Confusion, E: Evidence of skin breakdown, S: Symptoms.

What is the ethical principle of Utilitarianism?

A system of ethics that values the greatest good for the greatest number of people.