A nurse is monitoring a young adult client for risk-taking behavior. Which of the following statements by the client indicates they are limiting their risk-taking behavior?

Passive range-of-motion (ROM) exercises are essential in clients who have experienced a stroke to maintain joint mobility, prevent contractures, and promote circulation in immobilized extremities. Because the client is unable to actively move affected limbs, caregivers must perform movements carefully to avoid injury to muscles, ligaments, and joints. Proper technique emphasizes joint protection, slow controlled movement, and correct body mechanics to ensure safety and effectiveness during rehabilitation of a post-stroke client.

Rationale:
A. Moving each joint just past the point of resistance is incorrect because passive ROM should never exceed the client’s natural range or cause pain. Forcing movement beyond resistance can damage muscles, ligaments, and joint structures. The goal is to maintain mobility, not to stretch beyond safe physiological limits in a client with Stroke.

B. Supporting the extremity above and below each joint is correct because it stabilizes the joint and prevents injury during movement. This technique ensures proper alignment and reduces stress on weakened muscles and connective tissues. It allows controlled, safe movement while minimizing the risk of subluxation or strain.

C. Positioning the bed at mid-thigh level is not specifically related to passive ROM exercises and does not affect the safety or effectiveness of joint movement. While proper bed height is important for caregiver ergonomics, it is not a key teaching point for family members performing ROM exercises.

D. Repeating each movement 10 times may not be appropriate for all clients and should be individualized based on tolerance and provider recommendations. Overexertion can lead to fatigue or joint discomfort in post-stroke clients. ROM exercises should be performed within prescribed limits rather than a fixed number without clinical guidance.

Monitoring response to iron therapy in a toddler with iron deficiency anemia involves evaluating hematologic improvement and expected physiologic effects of iron supplementation. Oral iron preparations such as Ferrous sulfate are used to restore iron stores and support hemoglobin synthesis. As iron levels normalize, expected therapeutic effects include improved oxygen-carrying capacity and characteristic benign gastrointestinal changes. Nurses must distinguish therapeutic effects from signs of worsening anemia or adverse reactions.

Rationale:
A. Weight loss indicates worsening nutritional status and is not an expected outcome of effective iron therapy. In iron deficiency anemia, effective treatment should support improved energy levels, appetite, and overall growth in toddlers. Continued or worsening weight loss suggests inadequate treatment response or ongoing underlying nutritional deficiency.

B. Decreased hemoglobin reflects worsening anemia rather than improvement. Effective iron therapy should result in rising hemoglobin levels as iron is incorporated into hemoglobin molecules. A decline indicates treatment failure, poor absorption, nonadherence, or ongoing blood loss.

C. Pica, the ingestion of non-food substances, is commonly associated with iron deficiency anemia and should decrease with effective treatment. Persistence of pica suggests ongoing iron deficiency and inadequate therapeutic response. Therefore, its presence does not indicate medication effectiveness.

D. Tarry, green stools are a common and expected side effect of oral iron therapy and indicate that iron is being ingested and excreted appropriately. These stool changes occur due to unabsorbed iron and oxidation processes in the gastrointestinal tract. In the context of treatment with Ferrous sulfate, this finding supports that the medication is being taken and processed, and is consistent with therapeutic use rather than harm.