The nurse at a community center is preparing a program for older retired people at risk for malnutrition who need community resources. Which is the best action for initiating the nurse's program?

Question

1. Review individual's height, weight, and health history.
2. Teach low-cost menus and methods for a balanced diet.
3. Post flyers with instructions for obtaining free vitamins.
4. Provide telephone numbers of food banks and free meals.

Answer 1

1
1. To start a community nutrition program, the nurse applies the nursing process and implements the first step, data gathering, to determine community needs. The nurse gathers suitable data for planning the program by screening older retired people for malnutrition and people at risk for malnutrition using a nutritional screening tool. The nurse analyzes the data including height, weight, and health history to tailor the overall program, organizes suitable resources, plans for individual nutritional assis-tance, and matches people who are malnourished or at risk with community resources such as food banks, free meals, and Meals on Wheels. The remaining choices do not help the nurse identify people at risk for malnutrition.
2, 3, and 4. Teaching about a balanced diet is a prevention technique, and obtaining free vitamins and providing contact information may help people find community resources. The health care provider recommends vitamins to supplement to a well-balanced diet but not to replace it.