The nurse completes a home safety assessment and recommends removing a few pieces of large furniture to widen the pathway for a male client who ambulates with a walker. However, the client refuses to allow furniture to be removed
Which action should the nurse take at this time? a. Remove the furniture because it is a safety hazard.
b. Discuss the unsettling nature of change with the client.
c. Instruct the client about potential injuries from falls.
d. Explain the nursing responsibility to re-duce the risk.
B
The nurse invites the client to discuss change and its potential to cause distress (even when the change is desirable) to gather additional information about client refusal to remove a few pieces of furniture. The client can fear loss of control, grieve loss of function, or deny his physical limi-tations. The more the nurse knows about the client's feelings and thoughts about the furniture and his mobility issues, the greater the potential for the nurse to facilitate client home safety. The nurse has no right to move the client's furniture because the client retains the right to self-determination and to refuse therapy. The nurse should provide information about the client's risk from falling; however, he or she should phrase the information carefully to avoid a threaten-ing or condescending manner. The client's safety is not about the nurse, and it is unethical for the nurse to use guilt to coerce the client.
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