Change is inevitable and sometimes unwanted. At one time they were strong and independent, making decisions every day about their lives and their future, but now they are turning to others to help them maintain their daily lives. Elderly patients are one of the fastest growing patient bases. Baby boomers are those people who were born during World War II and from 1946 to 1964 and believe it or not, in 2006 the older group of baby boomers turned 60 years old. In fact, we can break that down to exactly 7,918 million people per day in 2006 turned 60 years old. The American Association of Colleges and Nursing (AACN) reports that there are 36 million Americans over the age of 65 and 63 percent of newly licensed nurses say that the majority of their patients are older patients.

So what does mean for nurses and other healthcare professionals? Other than higher taxes to pay for the care of an aging population, it means our aging population is growing and the need for specialized health care for the elderly is critical and the demand for geriatric nurses will increase.

Geriatric Nursing – The Career Path For Elder Care

Geriatric nursing is the specialized field focused on the care and treatment of elderly patients who suffer from diseases, chronic illness, respiratory illness and more. Many geriatric nurses work in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living centers, community health centers, doctors offices, and in some cases, they do in-home treatments for patients who need regular medical assistance at home. Typically a geriatric nurse will help doctors do physical exams and procedures, administer medications, perform certain medical tests, help patients and their families create a patient care plan and more.

Geriatric nurses are registered nurses who have training and/or certification in geriatric care, or who have earned an advanced gerontological nursing degree as a Gerontological Nurse Specialist. Other degrees or certifications include the Clinical Nurse Specialist in Gerontological Nursing and the Gerontological Nurse Practitioner.

What do Elderly Patients Want?

Depression is quite common for patients who are facing physical challenges, but for elderly patients it's even more common. As many as 17%-37% of patients over 60 years of age suffer from minor depression. When one considers that geriatric patients are often faced with the realities of not being able to care for themselves, perhaps the illness or death of their spouse or other elderly family members, being unable to handle basic body care such as personal hygiene, eating, and the like by themselves, it is unfortunately understandable that what we call the golden years may be less than satisfying. So how do we help these patients keep a sense of dignity?

In a multi-million dollar project, the Cedar Ward in Northampton General Hospital in the UK has taken steps to help not only improve the dignity of elderly patients. Each room now has en suite showers, toilets and sinks to help elderly patients maintain a sense of independence and privacy. Patients no longer have to share a washroom with the opposite sex. This may not seem like a big deal, but to elderly patients this is a big concern.

In a study "Dignity in older age: what do older people in the United Kingdom think?" 72 participants were interviewed about the idea of dignity from the older patient's perspective. The results were really not surprising. The concept of "Dignity" was broken down into three concepts:

Dignity of Identity: Self-respect, self-esteem, integrity, and trust.

Human Rights: Equality and choice

Autonomy: Independence and control

Citing several examples of situations where they lost their dignity or lost their sense of self-esteem, the patients described several scenarios:

• Being patronized
• Being excluded from decision-making
• Being treated as an object
• Being labeled as "wrinklies", "geriatrics", and "bed-blockers".
• Having hospital staff expose their naked bodies when lifting or moving them and not drawing the curtains.
• Being addressed in too casual a manner such as "love" or their first names.

Creating a situation of dignity and respect for elderly patients is critical, and it is often left up to the nursing staff to ensure that the elderly patients feel they are being taken care of in a dignified manner. One example of a patient being treated with dignity is the washing and verbal contact with a dying patient. Many patients and families will stay that it is an undignified death when a patient is left alone and/or when the nursing staff does not help the dying patient by cleaning them and putting them into clean clothing.

Tips for Treating Elderly Patients With Dignity

Here are some simple tips that can make a world of difference to an elderly patient:

• Move into the patient's field of vision when speaking with them.
• If the patient has problems answering questions, simplify the questions to simple yes-no questions and list options or choices for them to respond to.
• Do not call patients "sweetie" or "dear", and if you are going to call them by their first name, ask if it is okay.
• Help patients stay clean and, when possible, allow them to participate in their own hygiene care.
• Give elderly patients privacy when needed for changing, speaking with family or with their doctor.
• Take time to stop and listen elderly patients' stories and conversations. Let them know what's happening in the news and the world around them while they are in the hospital.
• Completely draw the curtain when undressing any elderly patient.
• Explain each procedure and step you are going to take when handling the patients. Where possible, consider writing down the plan of care for your patient and give it to the patient so they are informed and involved in their care.
• Do not speak as if the elderly patient cannot hear you or is an object.
• For dying patients, take time to wash them, moisturize their lips, position them comfortably and put chairs around the bed for visiting family. If there are no family members visiting, ask nurses to spend time with the patient so he or she is not alone in their final moments.

Elderly patients deserve the care they need and need the care they deserve.

Article © My Nursing Uniforms.com / Young Lion Incorporated
Image Courtesy of schnaars from Flickr.