The nurse is caring for an older-adult patient who has been diagnosed with a stroke. Which intervention will the nurse add to the care plan?

A) Encourage the patient to perform as many self-care activities as possible.
B) Provide a complete bed bath to promote patient comfort.
C) Coordinate with occupational therapy for gait training.
D) Place the patient on bed rest to prevent fatigue.

Nurses should encourage the older-adult patient to perform as many self-care activities as possible, thereby maintaining the highest level of mobility. Sometimes nurses inadvertently contribute to a patient's immobility by providing unnecessary help with activities such as bathing and transferring. Placing the patient on bed rest without sufficient ambulation leads to loss of mobility and functional decline, resulting in weakness, fatigue, and increased risk for falls. After a stroke or brain attack, a patient likely receives gait training from a physical therapist; speech rehabilitation from a speech therapist; and help from an occupational therapist for ADLs such as dressing, bathing and toileting, or household chores.