CARE OF OLDER ADULTS

NCM 114

PETER JOHN P. GONO, RN

WHY DO WE AGE?
INTRODUCTION TO GERIATRIC NURSING
 WHY?

• For centuries people have been intrigued

by the mystery of aging.
• Some in hopes of everlasting youth and
• Others discovering the key to
immortality.
• “DEEPER UNDERSTANDING”
AGEISM AND STEREOTYPES

• According to Eliopoulus (2014), ageism are

negative attitudes towards aging or older adults.
• It is also prejudices and stereotypes that are applied to
older people sheerly on the basis of their age.
• This evidently shown by the members of the society who
object providing sufficient income and health care
benefits for the older population while they enjoy
affluence and standard of living that was result of the
efforts of these older persons.
 MISCONCEPTIONS

• Old people are sick and disabled.

• Most old people are in nursing homes.
• Dementia comes with old age.
• People are either very tranquil or cranky as they age.
• Old people have lower intelligence and are resistant
to change.
• Old people are not able to have sex intercourse and
are not interested in sex
• There are few satisfaction in old age.
 INTRODUCTIO
N
AGING
• Aging is a normal process
of time related change,
begins with birth and
continuous throughout
life.

• It is a multidimensional
process of physical,
psychological, and social
change.
ACCORDING TO WHO (2003):

• Aging is a process separate from

disease, a process which, for the
majority of the people, is a
developmental stage of life to be
enjoyed in health with a sense of
well being and feeling of
contentment.
AGING CATEGORY:

CATEGORIES AGE IN YEARS

Young Old 65-74

Middle Old 75-84

Old Old 85-100

Elite Old Over 100

GERONTOLOGY:
-Geriatrics ,from greek “ geras” (old age )
and “iatrike”(medicine), is the branch of
medicine concerned with medical problems
and care of older people.
- It is a scientific study of the aging process
- Studies all aspects of aging and/or aged
- A multidisciplinary field draws from biological,
psychological and social science.
• As defined under Republic Act No. 7432, as amended
by RA No. 9257(“Expanded Senior Citizens Act of
2003”) , and further amended by RA 9994, known as
the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, ” defines
senior citizen or elderly as any resident citizen of the
Philippines at least 60 years old.

• Senior citizens are entitled to 20% discount and

exemption from the value -added tax (VAT) on certain
goods and services for their exclusive use.

• The retirement age (OLD) for government

employees is 60 years old and by forced retirement is
65 years old.
 GERIATRIC/ GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING

• It is a field of nursing that

specializes in the care of the
elderly.

• Florence Nightingale and Doreen

Norton provided early insights
into the care of aged.

• D. Norton (1922-2007)- A fellow of

the Royal College of Nursing, Norton was regarded as
instrumental in changing nursing practices to effectively
treat pressure ulcers, a major killer of hospital inpatients.
BACKGROUND…
• Nightingale was the first geriatric
nurse.

• ANA Established the Division of Geriatric

Nursing Practice in 1966 with a goal to
create standards for quality nursing care
for the aged

• The standards and scope of

gerontological nursing practice were
developed in 1969 by ANA.

• The term gerontological nursing replaced

the term Geriatric Nursing in the 1970s
BACKGROUND…

• Geriatric Nursing is bound to be part of our

professional future.

• Older adults are the core business of health care

representing the majority visits, hospital
admissions, and long-term care residents.
BACKGROUND…

• InCanada, one in seven Canadianseniors

receives home care.
• Seniors are re/admitted three times more
than younger Canadians
• With length of stay twice as long as
younger Canadians
BACKGROUND…
• Thus, care of older adults is the
“core business of health care”

• Today a nurse’s typical patient is

an older adult.

• So, every nurse graduating from

a nursing program should have a
defined level of competency in
care of elderly.
ROLES OF GERIATRIC NURSE
• Primary Provider of Care
– Health promotion
– Disease prevention
– Long-term management of chronic conditions
• Teacher
• Manager
• Patient advocates
• Research Consumer
GERIATRIC NURSING
•Nursing care for elderly patients with
a focus not only on illness, but on
overall health and wellness.
•Geriatric nurses are needed to care for a
growing number of elderly patients. These
professionals provide treatment for new and
ongoing medical conditions and help patients
and their families learn to manage a variety of
health issues.
• Gerontological Nursing
falls within the discipline of
nursing and the scope of
nursing practice.
• It is the specialty of nursing
pertaining to older adults.
• Gerontologic nursing is
provided in acute care, skilled
and assisted living,
community, and home
settings.
• Its goals include:
– promoting and maintaining functional
status
– helping older adults to identify and use
their strengths to achieve optimal
independence.
• Gerontological nurse work with healthy elderly
persons in their communities, acutely ill elders
requiring hospitalization and treatment and
chronically ill or disabled elders in long term care
facilities, skilled care, home care and hospice.
• It involves the nurse advocating for
the health of older persons at all
levels of prevention.
• The nurse gerontologist can be
either a specialist or a generalist
offering comprehensive nursing
care to older persons by
combining the basic nursing
process of assessment,
diagnosis, planning,
implementation, and evaluation
with a specialized knowledge of
aging.
• The nurse helps the older
person to maintain dignity
and maximum autonomy
despite physical, social, and
psychological losses.

• The nurse who becomes

certified in gerontologic
nursing has specialized
knowledge in the acute and
chronic changes specific to
older people.
• Many older people are happy and engaged in a
variety of activities.
• Gerontology, an interdisciplinary field that
studies the process of aging and the aging
population, involves psychology, biology,
sociology, and other fields.
 AGE RELATED CHANGES

1. Physical aspects of ageing

2. Psychosocial aspects
3. Cognitive aspects
4. Pharmacological aspects
11/15/2018