A nurse is evaluating a client who is 70 years old for signs of dehydration.

Which of the following findings should the nurse expect?

The correct answer is A.

Adverse drug reactions.

Polypharmacy, which refers to the effects of taking multiple medications concurrently to manage coexisting health problems, is common among older adults.

It is defined as the regular use of at least five medications.

Polypharmacy can lead to an increase in geriatric syndromes, decrease in functional outcomes, and increased mortality.

One of the major risks of polypharmacy is adverse drug reactions, which are harmful or unintended effects of a medication that occur at normal doses.

Adverse drug reactions can result from drug-drug interactions, drug-disease interactions, drug-age interactions, or inappropriate prescribing.

Adverse drug reactions can cause symptoms such as confusion, dizziness, falls, bleeding, or organ damage.

They can also lead to hospitalizations, increased health care costs, and reduced quality of life.

Choice B is wrong because medication adherence, which is the extent to which patients take medications as prescribed by their health care providers, can actually decrease with polypharmacy.

This is because taking multiple medications can be complex, costly, and burdensome for older adults, especially if they have cognitive impairment or low health literacy.

Medication adherence can also be influenced by patients’ beliefs, preferences, and expectations about their medications.

Choice C is wrong because drug-drug interactions are not a risk of polypharmacy per se, but rather a cause of adverse drug reactions.

Drug-drug interactions occur when two or more drugs affect each other’s pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) or pharmacodynamics (mechanism of action, efficacy, toxicity).

Drug-drug interactions can alter the therapeutic effects or safety of a medication.

Choice D is wrong because therapeutic effects are the intended or desired effects of a medication that benefit the patient’s health condition.

Therapeutic effects can decrease with polypharmacy due to drug-drug interactions that reduce the efficacy of a medication.

Therapeutic effects can also be diminished by prescribing cascade, which is a phenomenon where a new medication is prescribed to treat a symptom that is actually an adverse drug reaction of another medication.

Normal ranges for blood pressure are.

≤120/80.

mmHg for normal,.

120−129/80.

mmHg for elevated,.

130−139/80−89.

mmHg for stage 1 hypertension, and.

≥140/90.

mmHg for stage 2 hypertension.

The correct answer isA, B, and C.

These interventions are appropriate for a client who has impaired tactile sensation due to aging.

• Ais correct because monitoring the client’s skin for signs of injury or infection can help prevent complications such as pressure ulcers, burns, or infections that might go unnoticed by the client due to reduced sensitivity.

• Bis correct because teaching the client to avoid exposure to extreme temperatures can protect the client from thermal injuries such as frostbite or heatstroke that might not be felt by the client due to diminished thermoreception.

• Cis correct because encouraging the client to use assistive devices for mobility and balance can enhance the client’s safety and independence by compensating for the loss of proprioception and kinesthesia that might impair the client’s coordination and stability.

• Dis wrong because providing the client with sensory stimulation such as massage or music is not directly related to impaired tactile sensation due to aging.While sensory stimulation might have other benefits for the client’s well-being, it does not address the specific problem of reduced touch perception.

• Eis wrong because advising the client to wear loose-fitting clothing and shoes is not helpful for a client who has impaired tactile sensation due to aging.In fact, loose-fitting clothing and shoes might increase the risk of falls or injuries by creating friction or slipping off the client’s body.

Normal ranges for tactile sensation vary depending on the type of stimulus, the location of the skin, and the method of testing.

However, some general guidelines are:.

• Vibration sense: normal threshold is less than 10 μm at 30 Hz on the fingertip.

• Temperature sense: normal threshold is less than 1°C difference between two stimuli on the forearm.

• Pressure sense: normal threshold is less than 10 g/mm2 on the fingertip.

• Pain sense: normal threshold is less than 0.5 g/mm2 on the fingertip.