A nurse is preparing to administer enteric-coated aspirin to an older adult client who had a cerebrovascular accident and has difficulty swallowing medications. The client asks the nurse if she will crush the medication to make it easier to swallow. Which of the following responses should the nurse make?

A. "Stomach acid will inactivate some of the medication if I crush the medication." The purpose of the enteric coating is to protect the stomach lining from irritation, not to prevent inactivation by stomach acid. B. "If I crush it you might experience a stomach ache or indigestion." While it’s true that crushing may cause stomach discomfort, the primary concern is that it would bypass the enteric coating. C. "That would release all the medication at once, rather than over time." Crushing enteric-coated aspirin would cause the medication to be released all at once, potentially leading to side effects and reducing its intended effectiveness. D. "I will crush it and mix it in some ice cream for you." Crushing enteric-coated medications is contraindicated, and it could cause harm.