Mrs. Smith is 89 years old. She has lived in a Long Term Care facility for 4 years as
she could no longer care for herself in her
own home. She has had problems with her
heart for many years and recently has
developed Congestive Heart Failure
(CHF). You are assigned to care for Mrs.
Smith today. When you go in to see her
you notice her breathing is noisy and she
has a rattling cough and is coughing up a
great deal of sputum. Her feet and ankles
are swollen. She appears tired and lacks
energy
a) Describe what CHF is and how it
affects Mrs. Smith
b) What type of positioning would be
most helpful to Mrs. Smith in bed and
when up in a chair?
c) What care and precautions would
you take when dealing with her oral care
and productive cough?
d) What type of diet and restrictions
would be appropriate for Mrs. Smith?
e) Mrs. Smith tires easily, how would
you organize your care?