The nurse is planning client education for an older adult being prepar

The nurse is planning client education for an older adult being prepared for discharge home after hospitalization for a cardiac problem. Which nursing action addresses the most commonly deter-mined need for this age-group?

1. Suggest that he purchase an emergency in-home alert system.
2. Arrange for the client to receive meals delivered to his home daily.
3. Encourage the client to use a compartmentalized pill storage container for his dai-ly medications.
4. Provide a written document describing the medications the client is currently pre-scribed.

ANSWER

ANS: 3
Approximately two thirds of older adults use prescription and nonprescription drugs with one third of all prescriptions being written for older adults. A system that allows the client to sort his medication for daily dosage would help minimize the risk of overdosing as well as missing or-dered medications. While this option addresses the risk of injury in the home, it does not address the greatest need experienced by this age-group—the risk of overmedication or undermedication of prescribed drugs. While this option does address the client’s nutritional needs, it does not ad-dress the greatest need experienced by this age-group—the risk of over- or under-medication of prescribed drugs. Although this option does address the client’s need to monitor the medications he is prescribed, it does not address the greatest need experienced by this age-group—the risk of overmedication or undermedication of prescribed drugs on a daily basis.