Mrs. D, an 85-year-old female with heart failure and dementia, participates in the adult day program of the PACE Center (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly at Johns Hopkins Bayview) which provides services for older adults who are eligible for nursing home care.
Mrs. D, who has her good and bad days, appears agitated and upset today. As her nurse, you notice that she has been constantly wandering away from the group activity. Each time you’ve followed her and brought her back, she states that she has to get to the dining room so she doesn’t miss lunch and she needs her sweater should the room suddenly become cold.
What level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs would describe this patient?