Final answer:
The nurse must perform range-of-motion exercises for all joints except the fractured right hip in an elderly patient with COPD to minimize the risk of complications related to immobility, such as pneumonia, pressure sores, infections, and poor healing of fractures.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the care of an older adult client with a fractured right hip who cannot undergo surgery due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), it is necessary to perform full range-of-motion exercises for all joints except the impacted right hip joint.
These exercises are crucial to prevent a variety of serious complications that can arise from immobility, such as the formation of blood clots leading to respiratory failure or pulmonary embolism, pneumonia due to poor air exchange, pressure sores that can become infected, infections from urinary catheterization, and increased risks associated with osteoporotic fractures like poor healing and early mortality.
The femoral fractures, particularly serious in elderly individuals, often lead to the need for surgery and long-term care due to complications with mobility and associated health care costs.