Table 1: Nursing Assistants’ Knowledge related to Geriatric Mental Health pre-test (N = 73).

Questions for Geriatric Mental Health	Correct Answer	n	%
5. A visiting nurse observes signs of anxiety and stress in a newly widowed elderly client who lives alone. The MOST likely plan of intervention would be to:	provide resources to maintain a safe, comfortable, familiar home environment	61	83.6
7. When one of your assigned clients complains about the boredom and confinement associated with being in a wheelchair, you could BEST provide a respite for the client by:	sharing laughter or discussing current events of the day	57	78.1
6. The nurse has admitted a man who was brought to the emergency room by his daughter. The daughter says she noticed that something was wrong with her father when he began talking about her mother, who had died nearly 8 months ago, as if she were still alive	illusions or hallucinations	56	76.7
4. The nurse caring for elderly clients recognizes that which of the following is TRUE regarding the elderly and substance abuse?	Drugs with long half-lives and anticholinergic side effects are especially problematic for elderly clients.	52	71.2
1. An elderly couple, no longer able to safely manage by themselves in their own home, elects to move in with their daughter, who assumes the role of primary caregiver for both of them. A nurse case manager is working with this family. The nurse counsels the daughter to expect:	decreased self-worth and personal identity in both parents	51	69.9
3. A home health nurse visits an elderly client. The spouse reports that the client has recently begun to behave in an “abusive” manner and describes “catastrophic reactions” to minor events. The nurse assesses the client for which of the following as the MOST likely source of these behaviors?	untreated pain	48	65.8
2. The strongest predictors of first-time depression in the older adult are which of the following factors?	poor physical health and inadequate social support	43	58.9
9. You are working with an elderly client in a nursing home. The client is in a wheelchair most of the day, sitting alone in the corner of the dayroom, either grabbing at everyone who passes by or yelling out to people. This client has no visitors. The only living relative is a distant cousin who only communicates with the administrator of the home. Based on what you know about this client, you would put which of the following diagnoses in the highest priority?	Loneliness	38	52.1
10. Which antidepressant medications are commonly used in the elderly because of diminished risk of adverse effects?	selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)	36	49.3
8. An assessment tool that is widely used for baseline mental status but not designed specifically as a screening device for delirium or acute confusional states is the:	Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE)	32	43.8
9. You are working with an elderly client in a nursing home. The client is in a wheelchair most of the day, sitting alone in the corner of the dayroom, either grabbing at everyone who passes by or yelling out to people. This client has no visitors. The only living relative is a distant cousin who only communicates with the administrator of the home. Based on what you know about this client, you would put which of the following diagnoses in the highest priority?	Loneliness	38	52.1
10. Which antidepressant medications are commonly used in the elderly because of diminished risk of adverse effects?	selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)	36	49.3