BCG Assessment & Screening in Gerontological Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Braden Scale is used in gerontological practice to assess risk for:
- Cognitive decline
- Pressure ulcer development (Correct answer)
- Fall-related injury severity
- Malnutrition
Correct answer: Pressure ulcer development
The Braden Scale evaluates six subscales (sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, friction/shear) to predict pressure ulcer risk.
Question 2: Which nutritional screening tool is most commonly recommended for use with community-dwelling older adults?
- Subjective Global Assessment (SGA)
- Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) (Correct answer)
- Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002)
- Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)
Correct answer: Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)
The MNA was specifically developed and validated for use in older adults in community, outpatient, and long-term care settings and is the most widely used in gerontology.
Question 3: The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) is specifically designed to identify:
- Dementia progression over time
- Acute delirium in hospitalized older adults (Correct answer)
- Depression comorbid with cognitive impairment
- Anxiety disorders in nursing home residents
Correct answer: Acute delirium in hospitalized older adults
The CAM operationalizes DSM delirium criteria into four features (acute onset, inattention, disorganized thinking, altered consciousness) for rapid delirium identification.
Question 4: A gerontological nurse performs a pain assessment on an older adult with moderate dementia who cannot self-report pain. The most appropriate tool is:
- Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)
- Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
- Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD) (Correct answer)
- Wong-Baker FACES Pain Scale
Correct answer: Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD)
PAINAD uses behavioral and physiological indicators (breathing, vocalization, facial expression, body language, consolability) to assess pain in non-verbal dementia patients.
Question 5: Which of the following is a key principle when administering functional assessments to older adults from culturally diverse backgrounds?
- Use only validated English-language versions for consistency
- Apply age-based norms regardless of cultural background
- Consider that cultural norms influence role expectations and task performance (Correct answer)
- Defer all assessments until a professional interpreter is available
Correct answer: Consider that cultural norms influence role expectations and task performance
Cultural backgrounds shape expectations around gender roles, family responsibilities, and independence, all of which directly affect performance and interpretation of functional assessments.
Question 6: The Functional Assessment Staging Test (FAST) is used primarily to track the progression of:
- Parkinson's disease motor impairment
- Alzheimer's disease severity (Correct answer)
- Post-stroke functional recovery
- COPD-related activity limitation
Correct answer: Alzheimer's disease severity
FAST stages Alzheimer's disease from normal aging (Stage 1) through severe dementia (Stage 7) based on functional decline milestones.
Question 7: When assessing an older adult's social support network, which factor is most predictive of resilience and positive health outcomes?
- Total number of social contacts
- Geographic proximity of family members
- Quality and perceived adequacy of social support (Correct answer)
- Participation in formal community programs
Correct answer: Quality and perceived adequacy of social support
Research consistently shows that the perceived quality and adequacy of social support — not quantity — is the strongest predictor of resilience and health outcomes in older adults.
BCG Assessment & Screening in Gerontological Practice 2
The Braden Scale is used in gerontological practice to assess risk for: