FREE STUDY · 6.5 MIN LESSON
ADLs, Aspiration & Intake/Output
Read the lesson, then use the free narrated cards to check what you remember. Knowledge practice does not replace approved training, supervised practice or a competency assessment. Follow the rules for your role, state and workplace.
What positioning and pacing support safer feeding?
- Position the resident upright according to the swallowing and care plan before offering food; the Credentia feeding skill specifies 75 to 90 degrees.
- Offer small amounts at an unhurried pace and allow swallowing before the next bite.
- Follow prescribed food textures and liquid consistency, and stop and get help for swallowing difficulty.
When dressing a resident with a weak arm, which arm gets dressed first?
- Dress the weak or affected arm first.
- When undressing, remove clothing from the stronger or unaffected arm first.
- Support the limb, avoid forcing movement and respect clothing preferences.
What belongs on an intake-and-output record?
- Record measured fluid intake and output in milliliters under the care plan.
- Intake can include drinks and prescribed enteral or IV fluids; output includes urine, emesis and specified drainage.
- Record the portion actually consumed.
- Use the facility’s approved method for estimating items such as ice chips, and do not confuse recording IV volume with authority to manage an infusion.
How do you protect privacy during personal care?
- Explain the task, seek cooperation, close the privacy curtain or door and cover areas not being washed.
- Support the person to do what they can.
- Respect preferences and refusal and report any needed changes to the care plan.
What prevents spreading contamination during perineal care?
- Wear gloves, protect privacy and follow the person-specific care procedure.
- For female perineal care, wipe from front toward back, using a clean part of the cloth for each stroke.
- Keep anal contamination away from the urinary opening, rinse and dry as directed, remove gloves and clean hands.
How should a urinary measuring container be positioned for a reading?
- Place it on a flat surface and read at eye level.
- Record the measurement in the required units using the facility's instructions.
How should a nurse aide communicate with a resident who has a hearing problem or vision loss?
- For hearing loss, face the resident, reduce background noise and speak clearly without shouting; check understanding and preferred supports.
- For vision loss, identify yourself and explain care before touching or moving things.
- Adapt communication to the individual.
How do you give mouth care to an unconscious resident safely?
- Follow the nurse's assessed oral-care plan, using side-lying positioning when appropriate so secretions can drain out.
- Use very little moisture and do not pour fluid into an unconscious resident's mouth.
- Use suction equipment only if trained, authorized and directed by the plan; obtain help if safe positioning or secretion control is uncertain.
Where must the urinary catheter drainage bag always be placed, and why?
- Keep the drainage bag below bladder level and off the floor, with tubing free of kinks so urine can drain.
- Maintain the closed drainage system and follow the catheter-care plan.
- These practices reduce infection risk; report obstruction, leakage or other concerns.
What should remain within reach when a resident uses a bedpan?
- Keep toilet tissue, a hand wipe and the call device within reach.
- Provide privacy and follow the resident's assistance plan.
What does routine mouth care for an alert resident include?
- Use the upright position specified in the care plan, and gently clean the tongue and all tooth surfaces.
- Keep supplies clean and respect privacy.
How should dentures be cleaned each day?
- Brush dentures daily with a denture-care product.
- When not worn, store them in a labeled denture cup with cool water or an approved denture-soaking solution, following product and dental-care instructions.
- Do not leave them wrapped in a dry tissue or paper towel.
Does encouraging fluids mean ignoring a prescribed fluid limit?
- No.
- Offer fluids consistent with the care plan.
- A clinician's fluid restriction needs clarification through the care team, not an aide's independent change.
A resident has specific religious or cultural practices. What is the nurse aide's role?
- Ask about and respect the resident's individual cultural and religious preferences.
- Help communicate requests for food, visits or spiritual support to the care team and accommodate them within rights, safety and the care plan.
- Do not assume everyone from one background has the same wishes.
How do feeding-tube routes and safety checks differ?
- An NG tube passes through the nose to the stomach; a gastrostomy or PEG enters the stomach through the abdomen; a jejunostomy enters the small intestine.
- Follow the ordered route and feeding plan.
- In the North Carolina Nurse Aide II example, the nurse verifies NG placement before feeding.
- Report coughing, breathing difficulty, vomiting, distention or tube problems promptly.
What belongs in authorized routine ostomy care?
- Protect privacy and use gloves.
- Empty the pouch and observe the output, stoma and surrounding skin while following the established care plan.
- Report changes, leakage or skin injury.
- Pouch care is different from irrigation.
- The North Carolina Nurse Aide II example restricts this task to an established ostomy assessed by the nurse; it is not national permission for every PCT.
What infection-control principles apply when changing bed linen?
- Keep clean linen separate from soiled linen and avoid shaking contaminated fabric.
- Do not hold a pillow under the chin or against the mouth while changing its case.
- Maintain the patient’s privacy and safe position, and check the surroundings before lowering the bed.
How should bathing assistance match the person’s needs?
- A complete bed bath cleans the whole body in bed; a partial bath focuses on areas needing care.
- Explain the task, protect privacy, use comfortable water and encourage the person’s safe participation.
- Keep unwashed areas covered, clean gently and report pain or skin changes.
- Special baths require the ordered method and appropriate equipment.