Which principle should guide a nurse caring for older adults?

Successful retirement is often correlated with better health outcomes in older adults. This principle highlights the importance of maintaining an active engagement in life beyond work. Retirement can provide opportunities for older adults to pursue hobbies, social activities, and volunteer work, which contribute to mental and physical well-being.

The relationship between retirement and health emphasizes that a fulfilling post-retirement life can lead to improved health status and quality of life. Therefore, recognizing this correlation helps nurses to support older adults in finding ways to stay active and involved in their communities, thus promoting better health in their later years.

Considerations around the other options illustrate why they do not embody guiding principles for nursing care. Physiologic changes of aging are typically not reversible, and understanding this helps in creating realistic care plans. While thoughts of death can occur, framing it solely as depressing does not recognize that many older adults approach mortality differently, which should be respected and considered in care. Lastly, while older adults may face chronic illness, it is not accurate to say they can easily accept it; this varies greatly among individuals and requires sensitive and tailored support from healthcare providers.