What is the purpose of using a gait belt when assisting a patient with walking?

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: A gait belt provides stability and support during ambulation by giving the nurse a secure grip to steady or catch a patient, reducing fall risk without limiting steps. Restricting movement isn't the goal it aids, not hinders, walking. Encouraging unassisted walking defeats its purpose; it's for support. Lifting off the ground misuses it belts assist, not hoist. Nurses fasten it snugly around the waist, using it to guide safely, enhancing mobility confidence in weak or unsteady patients.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: A bed cradle keeps linens off a patient's body, preventing pressure or irritation on sensitive areas like burns or wounds, enhancing comfort and healing. Aesthetics aren't its purpose it's functional. Preventing movement isn't the goal; it aids, not restricts, care. Limiting bed access misinterprets it protects within the bed. Nurses position it over legs or torso, ensuring airflow and reducing friction, a practical comfort tool for specific conditions.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Providing assistance with foot care as needed ensures proper hygiene for a mobility-impaired patient by washing and inspecting feet, preventing infections or sores tailored to their limits. Weekly care risks buildup daily or as soiled is better. Ignoring hygiene invites discomfort from neglect, not care. Lotion between toes fosters fungal growth drying is key. Nurses soak, clean, and dry gently, supporting circulation and health, a critical detail in immobility care.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Drawing blood is not a health care aide's role it's a clinical skill for licensed staff like phlebotomists or nurses, requiring training beyond an aide's scope. Following care plans, reporting, and recording observations (e.g., appetite changes) are core duties, focusing on support and communication, not invasive procedures. Aides enhance care by noting trends, not performing medical tasks. This boundary protects clients and aides, ensuring safety and legal compliance missteps here could harm trust or outcomes, reinforcing their assistive, not technical, position.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: A care plan is the assessment determining a client's needs and ADL assistance, unlike a resident sheet for daily logs, admissions form for entry data, or unique number for identification. It outlines tailored care e.g., bathing help based on evaluations, guiding PSWs daily. Mislabeling it risks disjointed care; without a plan, tasks lack focus, potentially neglecting client needs. For PSWs, it's a roadmap ensuring consistency across shifts, integrating observations into actionable steps, critical for personalized support and team communication, unlike static records or identifiers.