Question 1

What is the appropriate action for the nursing assistant to take to meet the nutritional needs for a resident during the summer?

Accepted Answer

The nursing assistant recognizes that the older adult will not have the thirst mechanism due to the aging of the hypothalamus. The resident will need to be encouraged to drink noncaffeinated drinks to prevent dehydration. Because of chronic diseases, adding salt to foods will cause the retention of water and increase the effects of health problems. The older adult needs more proteins in the diet to build muscles and cells, but not additional calories, because the metabolism has decreased with aging.

Question 2

The nursing assistant is caring for an older adult in the home. The client asks the nursing assistant how to get proper nutrition on a fixed budget. How would the nursing assistant reply?

Accepted Answer

The best reply the nursing assistant can give is to advise the client to follow the MyPlate recommendations for persons aged 70 years or older, which includes recommendations for eating several servings daily of brightly colored fruits and vegetables and instructions on how to choose economical canned fruits and vegetables. The client should learn how to read a nutrition label and stay away from high sugar and high salt items, but not all canned goods need to be avoided. Helping the client to find out if the client qualifies for food stamps does not help the client to choose the best foods. The multivitamin should be a supplement and not replace missing nutrients.

Question 3

To function, the body needs a continuous supply of energy, which it gets from the:

Accepted Answer

Metabolism of food supplies the energy that enables the body to function. Ingestion (intake of food), digestion (breakdown of food into nutrients), and absorption (the transfer of nutrients from the digestive tract into the bloodstream) are steps involved in converting food into nutrients, which occur prior to metabolism. Vitamins and minerals are molecules that help regulate body processes.

Question 4

The client with diabetes has a low blood sugar. The nurse asks the nursing assistant to get a quick carbohydrate snack. What is the best snack for the nursing assistant to obtain?

Accepted Answer

The best choice for a quick carbohydrate is orange juice. Cheese and crackers are an excellent snack after the client's sugar begins to stabilize since it contains protein and carbohydrates. A slice of turkey offers protein. Zero-calorie cola usually has nonsugar sweetener, which will not help raise the sugar. Regular cola would provide glucose.

Question 5

The nursing assistant is preparing a lunch tray and observes the older client's mouth is dry, but the client denies thirst. What is the appropriate action for the nursing assistant to take?

Accepted Answer

The nursing assistant should explain the need for the client to drink water, which helps to dissolve nutrients and circulate them throughout the body. In addition, water transports waste products out of the body, helps cool the body, keeps the mucus membranes moist, and forms the basis for the fluid that keeps the joints operating smoothly. The client has no thirst as a result of the normal aging process, so offering favorite drinks will not help them to drink. The nursing assistant will report to the nurse if the client refuses to drink fluids. Taking no action would lead to worsening of the fluid balance and possible dehydration.

Question 6

Which food would be a good source of protein?

Accepted Answer

Protein is found in foods such as milk and cheese, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, and dried peas and beans. Fruits contain vitamins, whereas bread is a major source of carbohydrates.

Question 7

Green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of:
A) sodium.
B) folic acid.
C) vitamin E.
D) protein.

Accepted Answer

Green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of folic acid. Sodium is found in salty foods, vitamin E in fortified dairy products, and protein in meats and eggs and nuts.

Question 8

Calcium, a mineral essential for keeping bones strong, is most abundant in which food group?

Accepted Answer

Calcium, a mineral, helps to build strong bones. Calcium is abundant in milk and dairy products. Protein and vitamins are found in meats and various vegetables, whereas cereals and grains are a source of carbohydrates.

Question 9

The purpose of the MyPlate Guide for Older Adults is to:

Accepted Answer

The US Department of Agriculture's MyPlate for Older Adults contains dietary suggestions directed specifically for people over 70 years of age. Dietary assessments and government regulations consider a variety of things in addition to foods eaten. Nutritional values are generally found on packaging labels.

Question 10

Which factor is least likely to affect a client's eating habits?

Accepted Answer

Several factors may affect a person's food choices and eating habits, including religion, culture and geography, economics, individual taste, and appetite. The facility's menu will have the least effect on how a resident chooses to eat.

Question 11

The client with pneumonia is experiencing dyspnea and anorexia. What is the best action taken up by the nursing assistant?

Accepted Answer

The nursing assistant establishes that shortness of breath makes it more difficult for the client to have the energy to eat. Because of the illness, the client lacks an appetite. The best action that the nursing assistant can take is to report the observations to the nurse so that a dietitian may be consulted. The dietitian will help the client with supplements or small, frequent, and easy-to-eat meals of the client's choice. The nursing assistant should not force-feed the client the food because doing so will not help with the anorexia or dyspnea. Splitting the meals still does not address finding foods that the client may want to try. Pureeing the foods may make them easier to swallow, but may alter the taste and appearance, which may increase the client's anorexia. It is beyond the nursing assistant's scope of practice to change diets or modify them.

Question 12

When a resident has not eaten a certain food on the tray, the nursing assistant will:

Accepted Answer

Talking with the resident about why a food was not eaten serves two purposes. First, it allows the nursing assistant to give the nurse information that the nurse and the dietitian can use to plan future meals for the person. Second, when the nursing assistant notices that a food has gone untouched and takes the time to ask the person about it, the assistant demonstrates care for the person as an individual. Although the resident does have the right to refuse certain foods, the nursing staff must determine the reason so that the resident's nutritional needs can be met with other appropriate choices. Bribing the resident with extra dessert is not appropriate.

Question 13

What is the most important reason for the nursing assistant to be familiar with the special diets provided by the health care facility?

Accepted Answer

The nursing assistant must become familiar with the various special diets served in the health care facility in order to recognize when the kitchen makes a mistake and provides a client or resident with the wrong diet. The other options may be appropriate, but they are not the most important reason for the nursing assistant to be knowledgeable about special diets.

Question 14

Nutritional supplements most often take the form of:

Accepted Answer

Nutritional supplements, which can be used to supply extra calories or protein, often take the form of a flavored shake or drink. These drinks are convenient and easy to serve and can be made to suit the person's dietary needs and restrictions. A multivitamin does not provide additional calories or protein. Nuts and dried fruits can be difficult to eat and digest and so are not appropriate for many individuals.

Question 15

Which action would best prepare a resident to eat a meal safely in bed?

Accepted Answer

While all the options are appropriate when preparing a resident to eat a meal in bed, positioning the resident in a safe and comfortable sitting position promotes the resident's safety by minimizing the risk for aspiration.

Question 16

Which assistive device is most appropriate for helping a client with the use of only one hand to eat independently?

Accepted Answer

Specially made eating utensils allow a person with the use of only one hand to overcome difficulties and eat without assistance. A plate with a raised rim is very helpful. The rim helps keep the food on the plate and helps guide the food onto the fork. The other options would not meet the needs of a person with the use of only one hand.

Question 17

A resident has been diagnosed with dementia. Which action would the nursing assistant take while assisting the resident with meals?

Accepted Answer

A person with dementia is confused and often forgets to chew and swallow. To prevent choking, it is important to offer the client small bites of food slowly. A visually impaired individual will benefit from the clock-face method of food placement, whereas a physically impaired individual will benefit from a cup holder. Assisting with cutting and seasoning of food would be the answer only if the resident was not experiencing confusion.

Question 18

The nursing assistant enters the client's room to aid with a bedpan. The client, who is receiving continuous enteral feeding, suddenly develops forceful coughing. What is the priority action for the nursing assistant to take?

Accepted Answer

The first thing the nursing assistant should do is raise the head of the bed to prevent aspiration since the client is receiving continuous feeding. The nursing assistant can then provide a bedpan and report the actions taken and that the client has diarrhea to the nurse. Examining the insertion site via observation could happen at any time after raising the head of the bed.

Question 19

An individual who is receiving nourishment through an enteral tube is at high risk for:

Accepted Answer

Aspiration, which is the inhalation of foreign material into the lungs, can occur if the person regurgitates (vomits) the feeding formula and it goes down the windpipe and into the lungs. Enteral feedings provide for an individual's nutritional needs. Inhalation refers to the act of breathing air into the lungs. Sodium requirements are taken into consideration when enteral feedings are prescribed.

Question 20

The nursing assistant is caring for a client diagnosed with kidney disease on a fluid restriction of 1,000 mL per day. The client is on a renal diet, restricting potassium and protein. The nurse states that 300 mL is used for medications, and 400 mL per day is provided for dietary trays. What is the best action for the nursing assistant to perform?

Accepted Answer

The best action for the nursing assistant to take is to consult with the nurse to establish how much water may be provided during each shift. The client has a renal diet with restrictions of proteins and potassium, so the client is limited as to what fluids other than water the client may have. The diet trays will provide liquids, limiting both nutrients being restricted. The nursing assistant should provide frequent mouth care and may offer ice chips or sips of water, but that should be the client's choice.

Quiz 24: Assisting With Nutrition