OTA Geriatric OT 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 72-year-old client with congestive heart failure (CHF) becomes short of breath while dressing. The OTA should FIRST:
- Continue the activity to build endurance
- Have the client rest and monitor vital signs (Correct answer)
- Immediately call emergency services
- Ask the client to breathe faster
Correct answer: Have the client rest and monitor vital signs
Shortness of breath during activity in CHF requires stopping the task and monitoring vital signs before deciding on further action.
Question 2: Which approach BEST supports occupational engagement for an older adult newly admitted to a long-term care facility?
- Limiting activities to prevent overstimulation
- Conducting an occupational profile interview to identify meaningful roles and interests (Correct answer)
- Assigning the client to group activities based on age
- Focusing exclusively on physical rehabilitation
Correct answer: Conducting an occupational profile interview to identify meaningful roles and interests
An occupational profile identifies the client's meaningful roles, interests, and routines, which guides individualized and occupation-centered intervention.
Question 3: A client with moderate Alzheimer's disease becomes agitated during bathing. Which sensory strategy is MOST likely to reduce agitation?
- Increasing the pace of the bath to finish quickly
- Playing familiar, calming music during the bathing routine (Correct answer)
- Bathing in bright fluorescent lighting
- Having multiple staff members present
Correct answer: Playing familiar, calming music during the bathing routine
Familiar, calming music can reduce agitation during ADL care by providing positive sensory input and evoking procedural memory in dementia.
Question 4: What is the PRIMARY role of the OTA in the discharge planning process for a geriatric inpatient?
- Independently determine the discharge destination
- Contribute functional performance observations to the team's discharge planning discussion (Correct answer)
- Write the physician's discharge orders
- Override the OT's discharge recommendations based on direct client contact
Correct answer: Contribute functional performance observations to the team's discharge planning discussion
The OTA contributes functional observations and performance data to inform the interdisciplinary team's discharge planning, under OT supervision.
Question 5: Which condition MOST commonly causes peripheral neuropathy in the geriatric population, affecting sensory awareness of the feet?
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Diabetes mellitus (Correct answer)
- Osteoarthritis
- Macular degeneration
Correct answer: Diabetes mellitus
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is the most common cause of reduced sensation in the feet among older adults, increasing fall and injury risk.
Question 6: An OTA is grading a fine motor dressing task for a client with decreased hand coordination. The BEST way to increase task difficulty progressively is to:
- Move from Velcro fasteners to buttons and then to small snaps (Correct answer)
- Begin with small buttons and progress to Velcro closures
- Eliminate all fasteners from clothing
- Perform all fastening for the client
Correct answer: Move from Velcro fasteners to buttons and then to small snaps
Grading from Velcro (easiest) to buttons to small snaps progressively challenges fine motor coordination as the client improves.
Question 7: A client recovering from a hip replacement asks the OTA how to put on shoes while following posterior hip precautions. The OTA should instruct the client to:
- Cross the surgical leg over the other knee to reach the foot
- Use a long-handled shoehorn and elastic laces while keeping the hip above 90° (Correct answer)
- Bend forward at the waist to reach the feet while seated
- Ask a caregiver to put shoes on for the rest of the client's life
Correct answer: Use a long-handled shoehorn and elastic laces while keeping the hip above 90°
A long-handled shoehorn and elastic laces allow shoe donning without hip flexion beyond 90°, adduction, or internal rotation, maintaining posterior hip precautions.
OTA Geriatric OT 5
A 72-year-old client with congestive heart failure (CHF) becomes short of breath while dressing.
The OTA should FIRST: