Site Navigation

Health

Nurses Vital for Future Care of Older Adults

If you or a loved one has ever been in the hospital, can you imagine what the experience would have been like without the care provided by nurses? These highly skilled professionals — on the front lines of healthcare delivery — are a vital part of America’s healthcare system.

As America’s over-65 population continues to skyrocket, nurses will become increasingly important care providers. UAB is proactively preparing for this change by retraining nurses with core skills needed to provide care for older adults. “We recognize that excellence in nursing care relates to better outcomes for hospitalized older adults,” observes UAB Nurse Practitioner and DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) student Linda Jones. “As the ‘Silver Tsunami’ approaches the already burdened U.S. healthcare system, we’re proposing a type of preparedness to enable the system to meet the coming demands of an aging population.”

Current Role of Nurses in Caring for Older Adults

As front-line caregivers, nurses serve many important roles in caring for older adults in a number of settings including hospitals, primary care clinics, and long-term care facilities. “Because nurses are the professionals that typically spend more time at the bedside than other disciplines, nursing assessment is very important in the plan of care for patients,” explains Jones.

Also, Jones explains that nurses have been trained to view patients in a comprehensive or holistic manner, taking into account more than the patients’ physical needs. “This perspective translates well to caring for older adults, who often have complex health problems, social situations, and caregiving needs,” says Jones. “We evaluate how a patient’s illness or disease is impacting their function, emotional state, ability to take care of themselves, and even their ability to communicate. Because of our hands-on role, we’re able to pick up early clues from the patient when something may not be right or something has changes in their condition.”

Jones stresses that gerontological nurse practitioners are uniquely prepared to provide an important contribution in caring for older patients. “Because of their advanced nursing education and specialized training, nurse practitioners — also called advanced practice nurses — are able to diagnose and manage chronic conditions and acute illnesses,” Jones explains. “Most older patients are living with several chronic conditions that require treatment, monitoring, and often multiple medications. Nurse practitioners can fill an important role in providing health education and guidance about successfully managing these conditions in a number of settings.”

Training Nurses to Care for Older Patients — Answering the Call

“Currently, adults aged 65 and older account for a disproportionately high percentage of healthcare dollars spent,” explains Jones. “As the older adult population climbs rapidly, this expenditure will increase substantially — creating an increased burden on the healthcare system.” She emphasizes that in years past, gerontologic content has not been integrated well into the training of physicians or nurses. “As such, there is a strong need to retrain the healthcare workforce with a focus on geriatric-specific care.”

UAB Hospital is answering the call for more nurses skilled in geriatric care with the implementation of an innovative, national program called NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders). The program is a collaborative effort with University Hospital among key divisions involved in geriatrics at UAB, including the UAB Division of Gerontology, Geriatric, and Palliative Care Medicine, UAB Center for Aging, UAB Geriatric Education Center, and the UAB School of Nursing.

“The primary focus of NICHE is to equip nurses within UAB Health system in geriatric care in order to improve outcomes for older adult patients,” Jones explains. “UAB Hospital is the first hospital in Alabama to receive the national designation of being a NICHE hospital. This designation represents excellence in nursing care.”

As part of the NICHE program, UAB Highlands has opened an Acute Care for Elders (ACE) unit. This unique unit uses a multidisciplinary approach aimed at preventing and/or managing certain problems more likely to occur in a hospitalized older patient.

“Today’s nurses are highly trained professionals with an extensive knowledge base. We are at the forefront of research, science, and patient care. Our contributions within the healthcare system and advocating for patient-centered care are many, and we are impassioned about improving care for older adults.”

Article last updated: April 20, 2009 2:10 PM