The nurse is preparing to present a teaching session on skin protectio

The nurse is preparing to present a teaching session on skin protection for a group of older adults at a senior center. A principle that has been found to be most effective in teaching older adults is:

1. Moving the group along at a predetermined pace
2. Providing information in longer teaching sessions
3. Speaking very slowly and in a louder tone of voice
4. Beginning and ending each session with important information

ANSWER

ANS: 4
The nurse should begin and end each teaching session with important information because clients are more likely to remember information that is taught early in the teaching session, and key points can be summarized at the end. Repetition also reinforces learning. The group should not be moved along at a predetermined pace. Clients may have questions that would go unanswered if there were a predetermined pace. Or, sometimes teaching sessions have to be stopped after the nurse observes a client’s loss of concentration such as nonverbal cues of poor eye contact or slumped posture. Shorter (approximately 20 minutes), frequent sessions are more easily tolerated and retain the client’s interest in the material. The nurse should face the client and speak in a low tone of voice for the older adult with a hearing problem.