A nurse is assisting in the care of an older adult client who has COPD and is receiving albuterol treatments and 20 mg of prednisone twice daily. The client asks why the nurse is checking his blood glucose level. Which of the following responses should the nurse make?

Rationale: A. "Prednisone can cause blood glucose levels to increase”: Prednisone is a corticosteroid that can increase blood glucose by promoting gluconeogenesis and reducing cellular glucose uptake. Monitoring glucose levels is important, especially in clients receiving moderate to high doses. B. "Albuterol treatments can cause blood glucose levels to decrease.": Albuterol is more likely to cause mild hyperglycemia due to its beta-agonist activity, which can stimulate glycogenolysis. It does not typically cause a drop in blood glucose levels. C. "Having COPD causes blood glucose levels to fluctuate.": COPD alone does not directly cause blood glucose fluctuations. However, glucose changes are more commonly influenced by treatments like corticosteroids rather than the disease itself. D. "Older adults are at risk for developing type 1 diabetes mellitus.”: Type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in children and young adults due to autoimmune beta-cell destruction. Older adults are more at risk for type 2 diabetes, not type 1.