As life expectancy rises, population of older adults increases simultaneously. While this may seem harmless (and it is), it still raises concerns about promoting the health of the elderly and finding ways to help them achieve successful aging. Aged people deserve personal attention and expert nursing care, which is not normally taught at the nursing schools. Geriatric nursing teaches practicing registered nurses to identify and assess the vulnerable areas where elderly individuals are at increased risk of facing an emergency. Students of such a program learn the interventional therapies that need to be administered during such an emergency.
It is estimated that more than 50% of patients in hospitals are aged 65 and over, and the number of registered nurses certified in gerontological nursing a minority. Hence there is an urgent requirement of a certified workforce. Enlisted below are various resources for Geriatric nurses:
CLINICAL RESOURCES: Here are some colleges training nurses to become certified in Gerontological nursing.
- The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing: Founded in 1996, this institution has been a frontrunner in providing top quality nursing care to the aged. It is a branch of the Ney York University College of Nursing.
- The River Garden Geriatric Training Center: A non-profit post secondary and geriatric training center training people for certified nursing assistant jobs.
AGING ASSOCIATIONS & SOCIETIES: These institutions support scientific research on aging and Alzheimer’s disease, providing continuing gerontological education for advanced practice and an organization of health care professionals working towards the well being of the aged.
- The Gerontological Society of America: Conducts multi-disciplinary research in the field of gerontology as a way to disseminate the results to professionals, researchers and others associated with geriatrics.
- National Gerontological Nursing Association: Founded in 1984, this association provides clinical care to aged adults across diverse settings.
- Alzheimer’s Association: A voluntary health organization whose vision is to achieve an Alzheimer’s free world, this group researches to provide enhanced care information, education and support to the affected members of the disease and their families.
- American Geriatrics Society: A professional organization for practicing doctors dedicated to the well being of aged adults.
- Gerontological Advanced Practiced Nurses Association: Founded in 1981, this group was once called the National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners. The members are selected from the advanced nursing field because they wish to pursue higher education and work with expert clinicians.
WEBSITES: These online databases facilitate a productive search to help meet the needs and requirements of the older adults.
- Carepathways.com: A website maintained by RNs that is dedicated to the cause of providing services, information and support to senior citizens and their families.
BLOGS: Blogs are always fun to read, but these provide news, commentary, public opinion, and write-ups that are fitted to the needs of the geriatric community.
- Nursezone : An online community providing content from nursing experts about new medical trends, the latest nursing practices and links to continuing educational courses. Job posts can also be found on the blog.
- Nursing Experience: A comprehensive geriatric nursing guide, listing experiences and comments about events in the geriatric community.
BOOKS AND LITERATURE: Here are some forms of literature that provide an in-depth knowledge about history, evolution and current state of the development of geriatric nursing.
- Basic Geriatric Nursing by Gloria Hoffman Wold: This book examines practices for the care of elderly people, as well as common medications for the field. It is a common textbook in many geriatric programs.
- Little Black Book of Geriatrics (Little Black Books) by Karen Gershman: This is a concise but comprehensive guide to geriatric nursing that can provide a quick resource for member of the community.
- Geriatric Nursing Protocols for Best Practice: Springer Series on Geriatric Nursing: This book discusses typical geriatric protocol within the confines of the traditional nursing field. The research within is based on experimentation and evidence.
ONLINE VIDEOS: Here are some online informative and educational videos from trusted sources that you know and love.
- U.S.: A Personal Lesson in Geriatric Care: This video from Metacafe follows a reporter acting as a geriatric patient for a two week study. It give a unique perspective on the art of geriatric nursing, looking at it from the patient’s eyes, rather than the administrator’s.
- Why Vital Signs Are Important in Elder Care: This video clip is also from Metacafe and it features tips on vital sign acknowledgement in the elderly.
- How to Care for Your Elderly Parents: This video from Dailymotion is for elderly care in general, but it may help nurses get a better understanding of what goes through an adult’s mind when his or her parent must enter geriatric care. By understanding the families, one can better understand the job at hand.
- Geriatric Care Project: This video from YouTube was developed by a group of Chiropractors who address common health concerns for the elderly. These issues are explained, and the video provides adequate treatment solutions for them.
- Geriatric Care: This video from YouTube gives a breakdown of some questions that may arise in geriatric care, like “What is a geriatric care manager?”
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