Emergency Care, 13e (Limmer et al.)
Chapter 34 Geriatric Emergencies
1) Which of the following is meant by the “1 percent rule” of aging?
A) Our organ systems lose about 1 percent of function per year beginning at age 30.
B) We lose about 1 percent of our memory capacity every year beginning at age 50.
C) About 1 percent of the population older than age 65 has significant organ function decline.
D) About 1 percent of the population makes it to their 85th birthday.
Objective: 34.1
2) Concerning aging, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A) The diastolic blood pressure tends to rise with age.
B) Many elderly patients have a high threshold for pain.
C) Some elderly people have a low threshold for pain.
D) The systolic blood pressure tends to increase with age.
Objective: 34.1
3) A diastolic blood pressure over ________ mmHg is considered hypertensive.
A) 80
B) 50
C) 90
D) 65
Objective: 34.1
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4) A segment of the body associated with a specific nerve coming from the spinal cord, along
which shingles can appear, is called a:
A) motor unit.
B) dermatome.
C) zoster.
D) myelin sheath.
Objective: 34.1
5) As an adult ages, the body experiences changes that cause:
A) disease processes to take place.
B) a decreased compensatory ability.
C) an increased blood pressure.
D) an inability to maintain homeostasis.
Objective: 34.1
2
6) While listening to an otherwise healthy elderly patient’s lungs, you note decreased breath
sounds. Which of the following may explain this finding?
A) Increased chest wall flexibility
B) Decreased lung capacity
C) Previous abdominal injuries
D) Decreased blood flow to the lungs
Objective: 34.1
7) The elderly patient will most likely experience ________ as he or she continues to age.
A) increased stomach acid secretion
B) decreased intestinal tract movement
C) increased food absorption
D) decreased chewing difficulty
Objective: 34.1
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8) Which of the following questions is MOST helpful in distinguishing between normal age-
related changes and the effects of an illness when assessing an elderly patient?
A) How do you feel today compared to last week?
B) How is your appetite?
C) Are you taking your medications the way you are supposed to be taking them?
D) When was the last time you had a bowel movement?
Objective: 34.1
9) You are assessing an 83-year-old female who is having hip pain. When you count her pulse
you notice that the rate is irregularly irregular. What is your treatment for this patient?
A) The irregularity is not a reason for concern in itself.
B) Check distal circulation, sensory, and motor sensation, apply a pelvic wrap, place on a
traction splint, and transport the patient.
C) Contact medical control for permission to have the patient transported by helicopter from the
scene.
D) Alert paramedics to respond for a possible cardiac patient.
Objective: 34.1
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10) Of the older patients seen in the emergency department due to a fall, ________% will die
within 1 year.
A) 50
B) 25
C) 10
D) 35
Objective: 34.1
11) As you care for an elderly patient experiencing a serious medical condition, you would
expect any deterioration to take place:
A) rapidly.
B) slowly, with a later shift to rapidly.
C) slowly and steadily.
D) rapidly, with a later shift to slowly.
Objective: 34.1
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12) Which of the following is important to remember when communicating with an elderly
patient with a hearing impairment?
A) Speak directly into the patient’s ear.
B) You may need to shout in order for the patient to hear you.
C) Make sure the patient can see you when you are speaking to him.
D) It is not worth the effort to try to get information from an elderly person with a hearing
impairment.
Objective: 34.2
13) When interviewing the elderly patient, the EMT can increase the accuracy of the information
he or she gains by:
A) speaking louder than normal.
B) having his or her partner assist with asking questions.
C) allowing sufficient time for the patient to answer.
D) asking multiple questions at the same time.
Objective: 34.2
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14) A patient gives you a story of having gone out to the movies last night, but who according to
family members, has not left the house in years. This condition is called?
A) Apoplexy
B) Confabulation
C) Depression
D) Lying
Objective: 34.2
15) While interviewing your patient, she tells you that her husband will be back from the store
shortly and can get you a list of her medications. Her daughter tells you that the patient‘s husband
died 15 years ago. This situation is known as:
A) hallucination.
B) imagination.
C) contemplation.
D) confabulation.
Objective: 34.2
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16) You are assessing a 67-year-old male patient who is experiencing a dissecting abdominal
aneurysm. Typically, such a patient will describe the pain as:
A) dull.
B) tearing.
C) sharp.
D) achy.
Objective: 34.3
17) When palpating the pulse of an elderly patient, you notice that there is an irregular pulsation
without any kind of pattern or cycle to it. This is called:
A) pulsus alternans.
B) heart failure.
C) an irregularly irregular pulse.
D) pulsus paradoxus.
Objective: 34.3
18) Which of the following is NOT a common cause of chest pain in the elderly?
A) Angina
B) Asthma
C) Pneumonia
D) Aneurysm
Objective: 34.3
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19) Your patient is an 80-year-old male complaining of lower back pain that radiates through to
the abdomen. He describes the pain as “ripping” in nature. He is pale, diaphoretic, and anxious,
and has a blood pressure of 210/100 mmHg, a pulse of 112 beats per minute, and a respiratory
rate of 20 breaths per minute. Which of the following conditions is MOST likely?
A) Gallbladder disease
B) Bowel obstruction
C) Diverticulitis
D) Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Objective: 34.3
20) When an elderly patient complains of abdominal pain, the EMT should consider this
symptom to be:
A) non-life-threatening unless accompanied by other symptoms.
B) cardiac-related until proven otherwise.
C) an indication of a potentially serious problem.
D) related to a gastrointestinal problem.
Objective: 34.3
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