Final answer:
When caring for a client with left hemiparesis after a stroke, a nurse should assist with ambulation using a gait belt and stand on the client's right side, and place personal items within easy reach on the left side. Adapting the environment and providing wide grip utensils may also promote independence and safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
A nurse caring for a client who has left hemiparesis following a stroke should implement strategies that promote safety, independence, and rehabilitation. Among the actions the nurse should take, two options are particularly beneficial:
- Use a gait belt and stand on the client's right side to assist with ambulation, ensuring stability and support given the weakness on the left side.
- Place personal items on the bedside table close to the bed on the client's left side so that they are within easy reach, which encourages the use of the client's stronger side while also acknowledging the impaired function of the left side.
It is also important to adapt the environment to the client's needs by, for instance, ensuring that toilet paper is easily accessible if that presents a challenge.
Encouraging the use of wide grip utensils when eating with the right hand might be another strategy to help the client eat more independently, although it is not explicitly favored over the others without more context. Each of these actions aims at accommodating the client's current abilities while fostering continued recovery and independence.