The nurse is caring for an elderly patient with dementia. Which laboratory finding indicates to the nurse that that patient is often forgetting to eat meals? A) Serum bilirubin 0.4 mg/dL B) PLT (platelet count) 425,000/mm³ C) Serum cholesterol 175 mg/dL D) Albumin 1.4 g/dL

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Albumin level is an indicator of the patient's protein intake and nutritional status. Normal albumin level is 3.3 to 5 g/dL. It is an essential component of fluid balance, responsible for maintaining colloidal oncotic pressure in the vascular and extravascular spaces. Low levels of albumin may indicate malnutrition.

The Nurse Is Caring for an Elderly Patient with Dementia