Chapter 05: Cognition and Learning Touhy: Ebersole & Hess' Toward Healthy Aging, 9th Edition MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. Health literacy is defined as: a. the capacity to read basic health information in order to make appropriate health
decisions. b. the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information needed to
make appropriate health decisions. c. the capacity to read and write in order to access health care. d. the capacity to read and execute health care documents. ANS: B
Health literacy involves more than basic reading and writing skills. It involves the ability to obtain, process, and understand health information in order to make health care decisions. DIF: Cognitive Level: Remembering REF: pp. 60–61 TOP: Integrated Process: Teaching/Learning MSC: Client Needs: Health Promotion and Maintenance 2. The daughter of an older hospitalized patient tells a nurse: “I am worried about my father. His
memory is sharper when he is at home. He is forgetful, but is functional. Since he has been hospitalized his memory problems are much worse.” The best response by the nurse is: a. “It is common for long-term memory to be more impacted by age-related changes than short-term memory.” b. “Memory changes are often worse when an individual is in an unfamiliar or stressful situation.” c. “Perhaps you are just noticing your father’s memory loss now that he is hospitalized.” d. “There is a lot of new information for your father to process here in the hospital; he is overloaded.” ANS: B
Memory changes are often worse when the individual is in unfamiliar or stressful situations, such as a hospitalization. Option A is not true, short-term memory is impacted more than long-term memory. Options C and D are true; however, they do not address the issue that the patient’s daughter is discussing. DIF: Cognitive Level: Analyzing REF: p. 56 TOP: Integrated Process: Teaching/Learning MSC: Client Needs: Health Promotion and Maintenance 3. An older resident in a senior community tells a nurse: “I am really worried. I joined an
exercise class, and I just learned everyone’s name yesterday, and I cannot remember them all today. Am I developing Alzheimer’s disease?” The best response by the nurse is: a. “You should be concerned. It is very unusual to forget something that you just learned.” b. “There is no reason to be concerned. Short-term memory decreases with age.” c. “Don’t worry, a decline in both short- and long-term memory is a normal part of
