An older adult patient in a long-term care facility recently had a stroke after experiencing a myocardial infarction.The patient is not speaking or eating.The nurse notices an adverse change in vital signs.When a patient is unable to resist the effects of a stressor,the nurse can identify this stage of the general adaptation system as:

Question

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The exhaustion stage occurs when the body is no longer able to resist the effects of the stressor and the struggle to maintain adaptation drains all available energy.The physiological response intensifies,but the person has so little energy left that adaptation to the stressor diminishes.The body can no longer defend itself against the impact of the event,and if the stress continues,it damages the heart along with other bodily organs and lowers resistance to illness.In the alarm stage,rising hormones result in an increased blood pressure,blood glucose levels,epinephrine and norepinephrine levels,heart rate,blood flow to muscles,oxygen intake,and mental alertness.This change in body systems prepares an individual for fight or flight and lasts from 1 minute to many hours.During the resistance stage,the body stabilizes and responds in an opposite manner to the alarm stage.

An Older Adult Patient in a Long-Term Care Facility Recently