This is my FIRST post. I am in the midst of finishing up my first semester. I am challenging some of my Fundies for Older Adults final questions. I would LOVE and APPRECIATE your response and ratationale on one of these questions.
What my Fundies professor expects is in conflict with what my Health Assessment professors expect. I have done some research into this, now I would like your opinion.
It IS paraphrased a tiny, but the overall emphasis is the same as the exam.
Here goes:
You are ascertaining the gait and balance of an elderly person in a nursing home. When would you do this?
A. At the end of the exam/assessment.
B. When the elderly person is strong enough.
C. When the elderly person is walking into the exam room.
D. You wouldn't; they are in a wheelchair.
Thank you in advance if you have posted. I appreciate you!!!
This is actually very similar to a question that I studied in, I believe, Fundamentals Success. I remember the answer was when they were walking into the exam room but cannot remember the rationale. My advice to anyone in Fundamentals is to use the books, review materials, etc. They really helped me understand what the question was asking. Study, Study, Study those books, I cannot stress that enough, they are there to help : ) Good luck.
I completely agree, C is the best answer. Remember, our assessment starts the moment we first lay eyes on the client. You can assess quite a bit from sheer observation..
In the immortal words of the great Yogi Berra, "You can observe a lot by watching." :)
One good reason that i haven't seen mentioned yet (forgive me if its been said, just coming off a 12 hr shift that lasted 14 hrs..anyway)...you would assess their gait as the enter the room because they aren't thinking about it..they are just walking.
when you tell them you are going to do it, they will often try to walk as normally as possible and that might not be their true gait.
Much like when we count respirations, we don't want them to know because many will consciously or unconsciously change their breathing pattern. If you do it when they don't realize it being done, their natural breathing rate and rhythm will be occurring.
I have to agree it's C. We were always taught in assessing that the gait is one of the first things you assess. You assess with their overall general appearance which happens when the first walk in the room. You do a lot of assessing yourself without asking the pt any questions or asking them to do it. It's so that it is natural. If you ask them to walk so you can assess it, they will be conscious of it and it won't be their true gait. This is one of those things as you go through fundamentals you will catch on to and not even realizing you are doing it after a while. I always assess people when I am out now. I look at their appearance and how they walk and move throughout the store. If I mention something, it drives my boyfriend nuts. But, now it is ingrained in me and I don't every forget to do it.
I would have chosen C. Since you watching the patient walk into the exam room, you need to make sure they are steady and won't fall on the way in. Don't ignore their gait and balance on the way in to have them get up again later.
One good reason that i haven't seen mentioned yet (forgive me if its been said, just coming off a 12 hr shift that lasted 14 hrs..anyway)...you would assess their gait as the enter the room because they aren't thinking about it..they are just walking.
when you tell them you are going to do it, they will often try to walk as normally as possible and that might not be their true gait.
Much like when we count respirations, we don't want them to know because many will consciously or unconsciously change their breathing pattern. If you do it when they don't realize it being done, their natural breathing rate and rhythm will be occurring.
futurenurse2be
15 Posts
This is actually very similar to a question that I studied in, I believe, Fundamentals Success. I remember the answer was when they were walking into the exam room but cannot remember the rationale. My advice to anyone in Fundamentals is to use the books, review materials, etc. They really helped me understand what the question was asking. Study, Study, Study those books, I cannot stress that enough, they are there to help : ) Good luck.