Mrs. Geeta is caring for her 90-year-old mother-in-law. At a home visit, the nurse observes that Geeta is having symptoms of caregiver stress. Her plan will be to

Appeared in: GMCH - 2015

Explanation

The core problem identified is caregiver stress, which arises from the constant demands of providing care.
Respite care is a service specifically designed to provide temporary relief to primary caregivers.
By giving the caregiver a break, this intervention directly addresses the root cause of the stress, rather than just managing symptoms.
This approach helps prevent caregiver burnout, which is essential for the long-term well-being of both the caregiver and the person receiving care.
Supporting the caregiver is a key nursing role in community and home health settings.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Hospitalization is for acute medical care, not for providing caregiver relief. It is an inappropriate and costly use of resources.
Option B: This is not the first-line intervention. The stress is situational and directly related to the caregiving role. Addressing the situation with respite care is the priority.
Option C: Administering or prescribing sedatives is outside the scope of nursing practice. Moreover, medication treats the symptoms (like anxiety or insomnia) but fails to address the underlying cause of the stress.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Nursing interventions for caregiver stress (caregiver role strain) to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Nurses in home health and community settings have a crucial role in assessing not just the patient, but the entire family system, including the primary caregiver's well-being.
Recognizing and addressing caregiver stress is a patient safety issue. A burnt-out, exhausted caregiver is more likely to make errors in medication administration or other care tasks.
What if? If the caregiver, Mrs. Geeta, also reported feelings of hopelessness and a loss of interest in all activities for several weeks, the nurse's plan should then include both respite care AND a recommendation to see a primary care provider or a referral for mental health evaluation, as these are signs of potential depression.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the central problem presented in the clinical scenario. Here, the key issue is 'caregiver stress'.
Next, analyze the question's prompt, which asks for the nurse's 'plan'. This requires a proactive, problem-solving intervention.
Evaluate each option based on its appropriateness, scope of nursing practice, and effectiveness in addressing the identified problem.
Option A (Hospital) is inappropriate use of resources. Option C (Sedative) is outside the scope of practice. Option B (Psychiatrist) is a secondary, not primary, intervention.
Select the option that directly, safely, and effectively addresses the root cause of the problem. Respite care directly alleviates the burden causing the stress, making it the best initial plan.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Nursing interventions for caregiver stress (caregiver role strain).
Stem keywords: caregiver stress, 90-year-old, home visit
Lead-in keywords: plan will be
Clinical cues: Caregiver for a 90-year-old: This implies a high level of dependency and long-term care, which are major risk factors for caregiver stress.
Clinical cues: Symptoms of caregiver stress: This is the identified problem that requires a direct nursing intervention.

Question ID

Q6E9iWq2Kb7-QBHj4dDhT9

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 14296-14298

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Taylor p. 966-968

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 1 p. 156-158

Practise the full GMCH - 2015

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.

Attempt this paper Attempt in the NPrep app