Alabama CNA flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Normal adult oral temperature

The normal adult oral temperature range is 97.6 to 99.6 degrees Fahrenheit (36.5 to 37.5 degrees Celsius); a reading outside this range or a change from the resident's baseline is reported to the nurse.

Normal adult resting pulse range

A normal adult resting pulse is 60 to 100 beats per minute; report a rate below 60 or above 100, a weak or bounding quality, or an irregular rhythm to the charge nurse.

Normal adult respiratory rate

A normal adult respiratory rate is 12 to 20 breaths per minute, regular and unlabored; count without announcing it because a resident who knows may change the rate.

Normal adult blood pressure

A normal adult blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg; a pressure of 130/80 or higher, or a sudden drop with dizziness or fainting, is reported promptly.

Pressure injury stage definitions

Stage 1 is intact skin with non-blanchable redness; stage 2 is partial-thickness skin loss; stage 3 is full-thickness loss; stage 4 extends to fascia, muscle, or bone.

Repositioning interval for bedbound residents

Bedbound residents are repositioned at least every two hours, alternating sides, lifting rather than dragging with a draw sheet, and floating heels off the mattress to prevent pressure injury.

Urinary catheter bag placement rule

Keep the drainage bag below the level of the bladder and off the floor, keep tubing free of kinks, and empty the bag at least every eight hours or when it is full.

Order for putting on PPE

Don in this order: gown, mask, goggles, then gloves. Remove gloves first, then goggles, gown, and mask, and wash hands after removal and before leaving.

Maslow's hierarchy application order

Address physiological needs first, then safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization; an unmet lower need such as pain or hunger takes priority over higher-level needs.

Kubler-Ross stages of grief

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance are the five grief stages; they are not sequential, and a resident may return to an earlier stage or never reach acceptance.

Signs of depression in older adults

Withdrawal, loss of appetite, sleep changes, hopelessness, and loss of interest lasting two weeks or more point to depression, which is an illness rather than normal aging.

Resident right to intimacy

Consenting adult residents keep the right to private visits and intimate relationships; the aide knocks, provides privacy, avoids judgmental remarks, and reports any sign of coercion or inability to consent.

Response to an angry resident

Stay calm, lower your voice, listen without arguing, acknowledge the feeling, offer simple choices, and keep an exit path; leave and report if the resident becomes violent.

Responding to suicidal statements

Take any mention of self-harm seriously: stay with the resident, never promise secrecy, and notify the charge nurse immediately so supervision and the care plan can be adjusted.

Dementia versus delirium

Dementia is gradual, progressive, irreversible memory and thinking loss; delirium is sudden confusion with fluctuating attention caused by infection, dehydration, medication, or pain, and often reverses when the cause is treated.

Validation therapy principle

Validation accepts the resident's reality by responding to the feeling behind the statement instead of correcting the facts, which lowers distress in moderate to late-stage dementia.

Sundowning definition and management

Sundowning is worsening confusion or agitation in late afternoon and evening; it is eased by consistent routines, daytime light, quiet evenings, and limits on caffeine and late naps.

Wandering safety interventions

Never restrain a wanderer; use an identification bracelet, alarmed exits, safe walking paths, and supervised activity, and check whether the resident is seeking a bathroom or an exit.

Communicating with a dementia resident

Face the resident at eye level, use their name, speak slowly in short sentences, ask one yes-or-no question at a time, and allow extra time for the answer.

Behavior as unmet need

Agitation in dementia often signals pain, hunger, thirst, a full bladder, constipation, fatigue, or too much noise; check these physical causes and the care plan before requesting medication.

Active versus passive range of motion

In active range of motion the resident moves their own joint; in passive range of motion the aide moves the joint for a resident who cannot, and both stop at pain or resistance.

Contracture prevention measures

Prevent contractures with range of motion as ordered, positioning limbs in alignment, splints or hand rolls per the care plan, and repositioning at least every two hours.

Gait belt positioning rule

Place the gait belt snugly around the waist over clothing, never over the ribs or breasts; grasp it at the sides and stand on the resident's weaker side and slightly behind.

Cane use in stronger hand

A resident using one cane holds it in the stronger hand and advances the cane with the weaker leg, then steps through with the stronger leg for stability.

Fowler's position angles

Fowler's position raises the head of the bed 45 to 60 degrees, semi-Fowler's is 30 to 45 degrees, and high Fowler's is 60 to 90 degrees, used for eating and breathing difficulty.

Bowel and bladder training routine

Offer the toilet or bedpan on a schedule based on the resident's usual pattern, give enough fluids and fiber, answer the call light promptly, and record continence to adjust the schedule.

OBRA 1987 resident rights

The 1987 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act set federal nursing home standards guaranteeing residents dignity, choice, privacy, freedom from unnecessary restraint, and the right to refuse treatment.

Mandatory abuse reporting duty

A nurse aide must report any witnessed or suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation immediately to the charge nurse and may also be required by Alabama law to notify state authorities.

HIPAA confidentiality in practice

Protected health information is shared only with the care team on a need-to-know basis; discussing a resident in hallways, elevators, or on social media is a reportable violation.

Correcting a documentation error

Draw a single line through the error so it stays readable, write the correction, then initial and date it; never use white-out, erase, or write over an entry.

Types of elder abuse

Abuse includes physical, sexual, verbal or emotional, and financial mistreatment, plus neglect and involuntary seclusion; each type must be recognized and reported.

Chain of command reporting

Report concerns first to the charge nurse, then up the chain to the RN supervisor, director of nursing, and administrator, moving one level at a time until resolved.