Geriatric Nursing
Geriatric nursing is a heartfelt profession which allows you to connect with the patients. Gerontology is an nurse who works in the field of geriatrics that focuses on caring for older adults. This career is highly recommended because older people are most likely to require health services. Most hospitals have patients at the age over 65, and only 1% of the nurses are certified in geriatrics. Geriatric nurses are educated to understand and treat physical and mental health needs of older adults. They help and assist with the mental and physical changes occurring in their time. Geriatric nurses help older adults for them to be independent and active as long as possible.
Geriatric nurses are to provide disease prevention, health promotion, and positive aging. The American Journal of Nursing, the American Nurses Association, and John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for geriatric nursing contributed to the development of gerontological nursing (Pierre, “Gerontological Nursing”). In 2001, the John A. Hartford Foundation awarded the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) a $3.99 million grant to launch a new initiative entitled “Enhancing Geriatric Nursing Education in Undergraduate Advanced Practice Nursing Programs” (AACN, “Caring for an Aging America”). In the early 1960’s, the ANA created a cabil of nurses to convened the first national geriatric nursing practice. Geriatric nursing gives an encompassing view of the care for older adults. Florence Nightingale and Doreen Norton provided insights on caring for the aged.
Nightingale was the first nurse of her position in becoming a geriatric nurse in nursing homes. Norton, for
a while, helped on assisting the older adults, but later wrote...
... middle of paper ...
...nts. We can alleviate fears and anxieties by connecting with our patients and families. In the OR, this means a warm blanket, a hand to hold, a tissue to wipe away tears, encouraging words, understanding eyes, a shoulder to lean on, and a nurse to trust." said Kelly Walsh, BSN, RN, thoracic surgery coordinator at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. (Unknown author, “What I Love About Nursing”). Nursing is a job for life, It just never stops giving. Everyday, there is new thing to learn, and its always the technology changing for the nurses. It gives us hope for those who shake our hands and tell us “thanks” that makes us love what we do. It’s the simplest things that are the best. But there’s nothing better than saving a another person’s live. And at the end of the day, its great to know that you gave someone else the gift of a lifetime.
Enns, C., Gregory, D., (2007). Lamentation and loss: expressions of caring by contemporary surgical nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing 58(4), 339-347
Touhy, T. A., Jett, K. F., Boscart, V., & McCleary, L. (october 2011). Ebersole and Hess Gerontological Nursing and Healthy Aging (1st canadian edition ed.). Retrieved from
The modern nurse has much to be thankful for because of some of the early pioneers of nursing, such as Florence Nightingale and Jensey Snow. However, the scope and influence of professional nursing, as well as the individual nurse, has seen more exponential growth and change in North America since the establishment of the first professional organization for nursing, the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada, which in 1911 came to be known as the American Nurses Association.
When one thinks of the evolution of nursing, several noteworthy women come to mind, yet one stands out, Florence Nightingale. In Notes on Nursing, Nightingale says “…put the patient in the best conditions for nature to act upon him.” (1859, p.75) She established standards that reformed the industry. For example; her practices of sanitation and aseptic methods led to a decrease in hospital mortality rates. By keeping records of care given, techniques used and the outcomes; by utilizing these records, she implemented documentation and evidence-based practice. She started the ball rolling on the transition of nursing from a belittled trade to the profession it is now proclaimed to be. Nightingale, in conjunction with other
Touhy, T. A., & Jett, K. (2012). Toward healthy aging: Human needs & nursing response (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Mosby.
Houde, S., & Melillo, K. (2009). Caring for an aging population. Journal Of Gerontological Nursing, 35(12), 9-13. doi:10.3928/00989134-20091103-04
Today we admire nurses for how much time they sacrifice to help others. Nursing has been around for many years, as far back as 1751. It may be one of the oldest professions known. A nurse is someone who has been “trained to take care of the sick or infirm, typically in a hospital environment.” Nurses are highly respected and are still experiencing many levels of growth ‘till this day.
Due to an ageing population , The Francis Report recommends the introduction of a new status of nurse, the “registered older persons nurse”. One of the illnesses linked in with this is dementia, and multiple factors relating to dementia are having an impact on how nurses are trained and their deliverance of services. In 2013, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) began a new development program to transform dementia care for hospitals. There aim is to develop skills and knowledge related to dementia, the roles of all those who are involved, understanding the development of action plans that identify key changes.
[A]lthough the days are busy and the workload is always growing, there are still those special moments when someone says or does something and you know you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. That’s why I became a nurse.” —Diane McKenty
As you can see registered nurses are an important part of the health care system today. Risking their health and well-being for that of other people. Just remember how much they’ve helped you over time, whether it be curing a simple illness or mending a broken bone. Next time you see a nurse why not thank them for everything they have done. After doing research on this career I have decided that I am still interested and would like to pursue a career in this field.
Kick, Ella. "Overview: Health Care and the Aging Population: What Are Today's Challenges?" The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. N.p., n.d. Web.
An important step to decrease an ageist attitude is to take a step back and recognize biases and preconceived ideas that one has about older adults (DeBrew, 2015). Recognizing biases in combination with furthering one’s education about the effects of aging and the specific needs of older adults will help increase compassionate care. To allow for effective interventions it is important that the nurse understand that illness and infection manifest differently in older adults than they do in the younger population (DeBrew, 2015). In addition, through ethnographic study it was found that when nurses spend time doing activities with older adults it helps strengthen relationships and sense of community between care providers and elderly patients (DeBrew, 2015). According to the article, “occupational therapists who worked with older adults felt ‘stigmatized’ by their peers because their work was viewed as less challenging and requiring less skill and intellect than caring for other populations” (DeBrew, 2015). To promote compassionate patient care it is important that nurses and other professionals get support from their peers to confirm that their work is not insignificant and looked down upon. Finally, include the older adult while creating the plan of care to show them that they are a valued part of their healthcare
Registered nurses work to contribute good health and prevent illness. They also treat patients and help go through there rehabilitation and also give support and advice to patients family. Registered nurses are general-duty nurses who focus in the achievement of caring for their patients. They are under the supervision of a doctor. As I researched this career It brought more questions to my life. It became a big interest that soon I would have an opportunity to answer my own questions obviously with the help of others.
Although the nursing profession has never been known to be static, even greater evolution within the next five, ten and twenty years can surely be anticipated. The inevitable changes can partially be attributed to the significant size of the aging population, which includes both patients and nurses alike; recent and forthcoming advancements in technology; modifications in health insurance policies; well as the essential new wave of nurse leaders.
There is a lack of gerontological nursing education in schools of nursing today. Thus there are few nurses that are equipped to effectively care for senior citizens. This is a problem because the population of senior citizens in the United States is increasing and will continue to increase significantly in the years to come. Therefore it is important for nursing students to understand what gerontological nursing encompasses and why it is so important.