Bowel Elimination Mrs Emma Brown is a 78-year old widow of 9 months. She lives alone in a low-income housing complex for older adults. Her 2 children live with their families in a city approximately...

Bowel Elimination

1. Mrs Emma Brown is a 78-year old widow of 9 months. She lives alone in a low-income

housing complex for older adults. Her 2 children live with their families in a city

approximately 150 miles away. She has always enjoyed cooking for her family; however,

now that she is alone, she does not cook for herself. As a result, she has developed irregular

eating patterns and tends to prepare soup and toast meals. She gets little exercise and has

had bouts of insomnia since her husband’s death. For the past month, Mrs Brown has been

having a problem with constipation. She states she has a bowel movement about every 3 to

4 days and her stools are hard and painful to excrete. Mrs Brown decides to attend the

health fair sponsored by the housing complex and seeks assistance from the county public

health nurse.

1. What nursing intervention is most appropriate before making suggestions to correct

or prevent the problem she is experiencing?

1. What suggestions can you give her about maintaining a regular bowel pattern?


2. Explain why cathartics and laxatives are generally contraindicated for people in Mrs Brown’s situation.