Adult Care Planning Flashcards
7 cards from real CSA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Adult Care Planning flashcards as text
A senior client is hospitalized and placed on 'observation status' rather than formal inpatient admission. What is the most significant care planning implication?
Answer: The client does NOT qualify for Medicare Part A SNF coverage because the 3-day inpatient requirement is not met
Medicare requires a qualifying 3-day inpatient admission for SNF coverage; time spent under observation status does not count, so patients may face full out-of-pocket SNF costs.
Which statement best describes the role of a 'geriatric care manager' (also called an Aging Life Care Professional)?
Answer: A geriatric care manager assesses needs, coordinates services, and monitors the care plan across providers
Aging Life Care Professionals assess the senior's needs across health, functional, social, and financial domains, then coordinate and monitor an individualized care plan.
When assessing a senior for fall risk, which combination of factors most significantly increases the risk according to evidence-based guidelines?
Answer: History of previous falls and gait or balance impairment
Prior falls and gait/balance impairment are the strongest independent predictors of future falls and are prioritized in CDC's STEADI fall prevention framework.
A senior's care plan should be reviewed and updated at minimum:
Answer: At least annually, or whenever there is a significant change in condition
Best practice and regulatory standards for licensed care settings require care plan review at least annually and whenever a significant change in the senior's physical, cognitive, or social status occurs.
A family is considering hospice care for a terminally ill parent. Under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, which of the following is TRUE?
Answer: A physician must certify a life expectancy of 6 months or less if the illness runs its normal course
Medicare requires physician certification of a prognosis of 6 months or less for terminal illness to enroll in the hospice benefit, which shifts the goal of care to comfort rather than cure.
Which factor is most important to assess when evaluating whether family caregiving is sustainable long-term?
Answer: The caregiver's physical health, emotional well-being, and availability of respite
Caregiver burnout, health, and access to respite are the most predictive factors of caregiving sustainability; overwhelmed caregivers are at high risk of abandoning care or developing health problems themselves.
When a senior with no advance directive lacks decision-making capacity and has no legally designated surrogate, who typically makes healthcare decisions?
Answer: State law determines a surrogate hierarchy, usually starting with a spouse or adult child
Most states have default surrogate decision-making laws that establish a priority hierarchy—typically spouse, adult children, parents, siblings—to authorize healthcare decisions when no advance directive exists.