A nurse is reinforcing teaching with a client who has a partial hearing loss about how to modify the home environment. Which of the following is a priority modification that the nurse should include?

A. Body regulation of heat and cold increases with age: This statement is incorrect. Age-related changes can lead to decreased efficiency in regulating body temperature, making older adults more susceptible to extreme temperatures.
B. Circulation becomes less efficient with age: Correct. With age, blood vessels can lose some of their elasticity, leading to decreased efficiency in circulating blood throughout the body. This can impact the ability to respond to temperature changes effectively.
C. Increased metabolic rate occurs with age, and increasing body temperature: This statement is incorrect. In general, metabolic rate tends to decrease with age, which can contribute to decreased heat production in older adults.
D. Sweat gland activity is increased with age: This statement is incorrect. Sweat gland activity tends to decrease with age, leading to decreased sweating and potential challenges in cooling the body during hot conditions.

The correct answer is Choice B.

Choice A rationale: Placing the client in a room with another client who has pharyngitis is not recommended. Pharyngitis can be caused by various different pathogens, not just streptococci. Co-housing clients with different infections can lead to cross-infection, complicating both clients’ conditions. Therefore, this choice is not the best option.

Choice B rationale: Ensuring that the client wears a surgical mask during transportation throughout the facility is the correct choice. Streptococcal infections are spread through respiratory droplets. A surgical mask can help prevent the spread of these droplets, protecting other clients and healthcare workers in the facility. This is a standard precaution in infection control.

Choice C rationale: Limiting the client’s visitors to visitations of 30 minutes is not necessarily beneficial. The duration of the visit does not significantly impact the risk of transmission as much as the precautions taken during the visit, such as hand hygiene and wearing a mask. Therefore, while limiting visitation time might reduce exposure, it is not the most effective measure to prevent the spread of infection.

Choice D rationale: Providing the client a room with negative pressure airflow of six air exchanges per hour is not necessary for a client with a streptococcal infection. Negative pressure rooms are typically used for clients with airborne diseases, such as tuberculosis. A streptococcal infection is spread through droplets, not airborne transmission, so a negative pressure room would not provide any additional benefit.