Older American Nursing Care

“Nurses are more than caregivers in today’s healthcare settings. They are teachers, advocates and pioneers in improving healthcare. They are stepping out of the old model and taking ownership for changes in healthcare. Nurses are developing their own scientific research programs to improve patient care. They are playing a pivotal role in healthcare reform. Nurses are becoming leaders, not followers in healthcare reform.”

Although the largest profession in the health care industry is nursing, a larger number of people are getting older and living longer. This means that more people will need nursing care, whether it’s in a hospital, a long-term care facility or at home. It is projected that long-term care facilities will need 66% more RNs by 2020 (Addressing the Nursing). The increase in life expectancy has amplified the complexity of health care because more people are living with chronic conditions. The American Nurses Association reported that “a large cross-sectional study of over 1,000,000 adults revealed that 82% had one or more chronic conditions” and we are seeing an increase of those age 65 and older living with multiple chronic conditions (Mion). Now, more than ever, there is a high demand for the best delivery of medical care.

In 2009, An Bord Altranais published guidelines for nursing older people, person centred care and its provision was discussed in depth as a Standard in Nursing Practice, it is also the number one Standard in Nursing Practice. Person centred nursing care is provided within the organising framework of assessment, identification of needs, planning, implementation and evaluation (An Bord Altranais, 2009). Besides her hair going grey and wrinkles appearing a number of other changes are slowly happening within the body during the ageing process. These include changes to the cardiovascular system, the digestive system, cognition and memory, the bladder, bones, the senses and sexual function. (www.mayoclinic.org/healthy/lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/aging/art-20026070 ).Their functionality may slow down, or begin to fail, leaving the older person in the care of a nurse. I t is the nurses duty to deliver person centred care in doing so recognise the individual and their unique interests, qualities, needs and preferences, rather than solely focusing on the illness. (

Registered nurses are an integral part of the healthcare system, and make up the largest number of healthcare professionals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015) “The employment rate for registered nurses is expected to grow by 16% between 2014 and 2024”. This is more than double the average rate of growth for a profession. The rapid growth rate can be attributed in part to better management of chronic diseases and the baby boomer generation. The growth in the nursing profession is paramount, however the demographics of the nursing population does not mirror the demographics of the population served.

The role expansion of nurses to meet efficiency targets has meant that nurse-led services in the healthcare setting are expanding as one means of coping with a growing, increasingly ageing population. For those nurses running nurse-led services the focus for that reason, needs to be on treatment that improves the quality of someone’s life and represents an

The Institute of Medicine’s 2010 report on The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health acknowledges the changing healthcare sector in the US and describes future vision of healthcare and the role of nurses to fulfill that vision. The United States always strives to provide affordable and quality healthcare to the entire population of the country. In order to achieve this goal an overall restructuring of the healthcare system was necessitated. Nurses are considered to be the central part of the healthcare system to provide high quality and safe patient care. Nursing in the US is the single largest segment of the healthcare workforce with almost 3 million nurses working in different areas across the county. The changing

The Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner competencies entail a combination of acute gerontology and primary care. In order to gain entry into this field, there is need to meet the requirements for an adult-gerontology care nurse practitioner. The competencies of this field are based on the APRN along with NP core competencies. Their scope of practice is based on patient healthcare needs. Their healthcare obligations tend to reflect the work of a national Expert Panel that entails a host of adults related to gerontology and acute care (Geetter, et al., 2013).

In the 1990 census, there were 77 million baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) compared with the 44 million in the subsequent generation (Fox & Abrahamson, 2009, p. 237). This population imbalance creates quite the challenge for the future of nursing. It is anticipated that the United States will need a 35 percent increase in formal health care providers by 2030 in order to meet the needs of the growing population (Houde & Melillo, 2009).

This paper seeks to expand upon the 2010 Institute of Medicine’s report on the future of nursing, leading change, advancing health and illustrating its impact on nursing education, practice and leadership. There is an ongoing transformation in the healthcare system necessitated by the need to achieve a patient centered care in the community, public, and primary care settings in contrast to previous times. Nurses occupying vital roles in the healthcare system, need improvements in the areas mentioned above to

The health care industry is ever changing, requiring the practice of nursing to be continually transformed. Since nurses are in direct, constant contact with patients, we are in a position to facilitate change and it is our duty to be proactive in the processes that have a positive effect in our field. Likewise, it is imperative that nurses be actively involved in education in order to stay abreast of new evidenced based processes that will result in increased positive outcomes while elevating patient care. This paper will discuss initiatives set for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee (RWJF) on the Future of Nursing and the

The growing number of the elderly patient has a direct impact on nursing practice. The issue of” baby boomers” having an increased life expectancy may have jobs security for the nurses in future as evidenced by multiple improvements in cardiac surgery in older population. The aging of the baby boomers is expected to produce a plethora of new nursing jobs, which could lead to higher wages, greater job security, and greater variety in types of work (Page, 2015).

Your idea to break down gerontological nursing into sub-categories is an excellent idea to increase interest in this field of nursing. I agree that nursing care of the elderly can be overwhelming due to the various health care needs that any one individual may have. The Hartford foundation’s mission is to improve the health of the elderly. They have grants that are dedicated to preparing competency for those working with the older adult. The Hartford foundations supports research, education, and practice to enhance the quality of care given. They are researching the affects of human systems in different living environments, such as, nursing homes, in-home care, and assisted living facilities (Harden & Watman, 2015). Some of the research they

Statistics have shown that our elderly population will reach an all-time high within a few years. According to a study conducted by Welford (2014), we have seen an increase in the aging population, ages 65 to 74 years old, and there will be a projected growth of 74 percent. In order to prepare for this outstanding growth, we must find ways to encourage nurses to become more involved in geriatric nursing. You mentioned that the nursing population must obtain the knowledge to care for older adults. I believe this knowledge should start during our initial undergraduate studies and prior to obtaining our licensure. This problem could be rectified by adding a required gerontology class to the nursing curriculum. Studies have shown that 75 percent

In November of 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health”. This special report examined the current state of nursing and changing landscape of the American healthcare system and offered recommendations for the future role nurses should play. The committee that released the report, Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, divided it into three parts. Part II of the study, focused on transforming the nursing profession in order to improve America’s healthcare system. In order to achieve this transformation, the committee recommended that nurses attain higher levels of education and training, practice to the full extent of that education and training, and assume more

Changes in the Health Care System and the Practice of Nursing have become complex. Technological changes, complicated client needs, short hospital length of stay, and departure from acute care to community based care, all these changes have underscore the need for professional nurses to think critically in order to provide safe and effective client care. A better educated nursing workforce can provide good health education to patients and their families. The affordable care of 2010 has required the need for nurses to expand their role of practice to meet complicated patient demands. This has prompted the Institute Of Medicine to review the “Future of Nursing, Leading change and Advancing Health”. {Creasia & Fribery,2011}