Mrs. Jones, 55 years old, is the primary caregiver for her 78-year-old uncle. The uncle's cognition is intact, but he is frail and cannot perform activities of daily living without assistance
Mrs. Jones brings her uncle to the clinic for a routine examination, and the nurse notes that she quickly answers the interview questions for her uncle, stating, "He's OK; everything's fine." When the nurse directs her questions to the client, he looks to his niece before saying, "I'm OK, just old." Findings of the physical examination are unremarkable. Which of the following interventions should the nurse implement?
A) Meet with the uncle privately to screen for elder abuse.
B) Meet with Mrs. Jones privately to ask if she can manage her role as caregiver.
C) Schedule a routine follow-up appointment; there are no signs of elder abuse.
D) Ask Mrs. Jones if she thinks her uncle is becoming depressed.
Ans: A
Feedback:
In all settings, nurses assess communication between caregivers and older adults. Agitation, fear, and reticence from elder clients are possible indicators of mistreatment. Suspicious caregiver behaviors include humiliating comments, frequent interruptions, use of an unfeeling voice, and a lack of caring (Miller, 2009).
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