A long-term care facility sponsors a discussion group on the administration of medications. The participants have a number of questions concerning their medications. The nurse responds most appropriately by saying:
1. "Don't worry about the medication's name if you can identify it by its color and shape."
2. "Unless you have severe side affects, don't worry about the minor changes in the way you feel."
3. "Feel free to ask your physician why you are receiving the medications that are prescribed for you."
4. "Remember that the hepatic system is primarily responsible for the pharma-cotherapeutics of your medications."
ANS: 3
The nurse should encourage the older adult to question the physician and/or pharmacist about all prescribed drugs and over-the-counter drugs. The older adult should be taught the names of all drugs being taken, when and how to take them, and the desirable and undesirable effects of the drugs. The nurse should teach the client how to avoid adverse side effects and to report them to their care provider if they occur. If the client is disturbed by minor side effects, it could be an indication of beginning drug toxicity. Another possibility is that the client may become noncom-pliant with their medication because they dislike how the side effects make them feel. The he-patic system is not the only system responsible for the pharmacotherapeutics of medication. Old-er adults are at risk for adverse reactions because of age-related changes in the absorption, distri-bution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs. Changes in the GI system may affect absorption, distribution may be affected by changes in body composition and by reduced serum albumin lev-els, and changes in kidney functioning may impair excretion.
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