Practice Question
Which age-related change will the nurse expect to find during the assessment of an older adult client?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Decreased ability to identify odors
Rationale:
🌟 Aging is associated with reduced sensitivity of olfactory receptors and degeneration of olfactory nerve fibers, leading to decreased sense of smell (hyposmia).
🌟 Older adults may have difficulty identifying subtle or complex odors, such as smoke, gas, or spoiled food, increasing safety risks.
🌟 This diminished smell also affects taste perception, because flavor detection is partly dependent on olfactory input.
🌟 The change is considered a normal age-related finding, though it should still prompt safety counseling (e.g., stove use, food storage).
🌟 Nurses should recognize this as an expected finding and incorporate it into nutrition assessment, safety education, and overall geriatric care.
Finer and less prominent nasal hair
🌟 With aging, nasal hair (vibrissae) often becomes coarser, thicker, and more prominent, especially in older men.
🌟 Coarse hair may extend beyond the nostril, becoming more visible and sometimes bothersome cosmetically.
🌟 The primary function of nasal hair—to filter dust and particles—remains, but its texture and visibility commonly increase, not decrease.
🌟 Saying nasal hair becomes finer and less prominent contradicts typical age-related physical changes observed in clinical practice.
🌟 Therefore, this option does not accurately describe a normal age-related change in the nasal structures.
Hypertrophy of the gums
🌟 Older adults more often experience gingival recession rather than hypertrophy, with gums pulling away from the teeth and exposing tooth roots.
🌟 Age-related changes, combined with chronic plaque, periodontal disease, and denture use, contribute to gum atrophy and tooth loss, not thickening.
🌟 Gingival hypertrophy is more commonly associated with certain medications (e.g., phenytoin, some calcium channel blockers) or specific conditions, not aging alone.
🌟 Typical normal aging findings include drier oral mucosa, reduced saliva, and gum recession, rather than enlargement of the gingiva.
🌟 Thus, hypertrophy of the gums is not considered a standard age-related change.
Increased production of saliva
🌟 Aging is more commonly associated with decreased saliva production (xerostomia), especially due to polypharmacy and systemic conditions.
🌟 Reduced saliva can lead to difficulty chewing and swallowing, altered taste, and increased risk for dental caries and oral infections.
🌟 Many medications taken by older adults (e.g., anticholinergics, antidepressants, antihypertensives) further reduce salivary flow.
🌟 Increased saliva production would be atypical and would prompt evaluation for other issues, such as reflux or local irritation, rather than normal aging.
🌟 Therefore, increased saliva is not a typical age-related finding in older adults.
Want to practice more questions like this?
This question is from NR302 QUIZ 5B RODGERS 15428 ATL SEPT25 -CHAMBERLAIN UNIVERSITY (EXAMPLIFY) which contains 11 questions.
More Questions from This Exam
During an examination, the nurse knows that the best way to palpate the lymph nodes in the neck is described by which statement?
Answer Choices:
During an examination of a client, the nurse performs the whisper test. Which instruction should the nurse provide to the client?
Answer Choices:
A client with a history of hypertension presents to the clinic with eye pain. Which assessment findings indicate that the client may be experiencing primary angle-closure glaucoma? Select all that apply.
Answer Choices:
A nurse is assessing a client with hypothyroidism. The nurse should expect which of the following findings?
Answer Choices:
Which assessment findings should the nurse expect for a client with presbycusis?
Answer Choices:
From Exam
NR302 QUIZ 5B RODGERS 15428 ATL SEPT25 -CHAMBERLAIN UNIVERSITY (EXAMPLIFY)
11 Questions
View Full Exam Start PracticingQuestion Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: Examplify Exam(s)
- Domain: Health Assessment
- Answer Choices: 4