How Geriatric Nurses Improve Patients' Quality of Life
Geriatric nurses, also known as gerontological nurses, are healthcare professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life for elderly patients. These nurses play a crucial role in addressing the complex health needs of older adults while promoting independence, dignity, and overall well-being. Geriatric nurses impact their patients’ lives, serving as advocates and ensuring dignified and respectful treatment. By developing personalized care plans, managing medications, and educating patients and their families, geriatric nurses help older adults maintain their health and enjoy a higher quality of life.
Understanding the Role of Geriatric Nurses
Geriatric nursing is a specialized field that requires compassion and strong skills in caring for the elderly. These nurses perform various duties to support their patients' physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Their responsibilities include administering medications and treatments, assisting with daily living activities, facilitating mobility, providing emotional support, and monitoring patients' health. Geriatric nurses also coordinate with other healthcare professionals to ensure comprehensive care.
Key Responsibilities of a Geriatric Nurse:
• Administer medications and treatments.
• Assist with daily living activities (e.g., bathing, dressing, feeding).
• Facilitate mobility through support with walking, transfers, and exercises.
• Provide emotional support to patients and their families.
• Monitor and assess patients’ physical and mental health.
• Recognize early signs of infections, pressure ulcers, and other complications.
• Coordinate with other healthcare professionals to ensure comprehensive care.
Comprehensive Assessment and Care Planning
Geriatric nurses conduct multidimensional assessments to evaluate an older person's functional ability, physical health, cognition, mental health, and socio-environmental circumstances. This comprehensive assessment includes a review of medications, immunization status, and other relevant factors. By gathering this information, nurses can develop individualized care plans that address the unique needs and goals of each patient.
The geriatric assessment differs from a typical medical evaluation by including nonmedical domains and emphasizing functional capacity and quality of life. Often, a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, nutritionists, social workers, and physical and occupational therapists, is involved. This approach provides a more complete and relevant understanding of the patient's medical, functional, and psychosocial issues.
Promoting Physical Health and Function
Geriatric nurses play a vital role in promoting the physical health and function of older adults. They assist with daily living activities, such as bathing, dressing, and feeding, to help patients maintain their independence and dignity. They also facilitate mobility through support with walking, transfers, and exercises. By encouraging physical activity and providing assistance as needed, geriatric nurses help older adults stay active and prevent functional decline.
Supporting Mental and Emotional Well-being
Geriatric nurses recognize the importance of mental and emotional well-being in older adults' overall quality of life. They provide emotional support to patients and their families, offering a listening ear and a compassionate presence. They are watchful for patients who may be depressed or angry due to deteriorating health, lack of freedom, or isolation from loved ones. By remaining cheerful and compassionate, geriatric nurses can help patients cope with these challenges and maintain a positive outlook.
Coordinating Care and Collaboration
Geriatric nurses often connect with patients' family members to explain care routines, medications, and act as a link between the family members, the patient, and the doctor. They also collaborate with physicians, therapists, and other healthcare professionals to ensure comprehensive and coordinated care. By working together as a team, they can address the complex needs of older adults and improve their health outcomes.
Improving Quality of Life in Long-Term Care
Geriatric nurses also work in residential long-term care (LTC). They strive to improve the quality of life of LTC residents by focusing on physical and psychological interventions. They can implement interventions related to physical activity, psychological factors, and social interaction.
Promoting Quality of Life
Nurses can improve the quality of life for older patients by educating both patients and caregivers on daily care routines, as well as coping skills required for certain age-related conditions.
Factors that contribute to quality of life include:
• Ability to participate in and enjoy social activities.
• Degree of satisfaction with medical aspects of and financial arrangements for health care.
• Sexuality
Case Study 1: Mrs. Evangelista's Nutritional Challenges
Mrs. Evangelista is a 92-year-old Filipino woman diagnosed with dementia seven years ago. Living at home with her two daughters, she has become increasingly frail, experiencing significant weight loss and difficulty with oral intake. Her daughters, concerned about her nutritional status, requested a PEG tube insertion to improve her feeding.
Nursing Intervention: A geriatric nurse visited Mrs. Evangelista to assess her condition and discuss her daughters' concerns. Understanding the cultural significance of family involvement in care decisions, the nurse engaged the daughters in dialogue about Mrs. Evangelista's preferences and values regarding nutrition and feeding methods. The nurse explained the risks and benefits of a PEG tube while exploring alternative strategies to enhance oral intake.
Outcome: Through education and supportive communication, the nurse helped the family understand that improving Mrs. Evangelista's oral intake could be achieved through tailored meal planning, texture modifications, and assistance during mealtimes. The family adopted these strategies, leading to improved nutrition without invasive procedures. This intervention not only addressed Mrs. Evangelista's physical needs but also respected her dignity and autonomy, ultimately enhancing her quality of life.
The Importance of Training and Research
To meet the needs of an aging population, training future nurses and nurse scientists in geriatrics is critical. Initiatives such as the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI) and the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC) program are leading the way in this effort. These programs emphasize mentoring and leadership, developing students to be competent in caring for older adults and increasing the number of geriatric nursing faculty.
Nursing science also plays a crucial role in building the evidence base for improved clinical care and quality of life for older adults. Nurse scientists conduct research that informs evidence-based interventions to promote health and manage illness in various healthcare settings. By investing in research and training, nurses and nurse scientists can receive the support they need to fulfill their responsibilities as leaders in meeting the challenges of healthcare for the aging population.
Geriatric nurses significantly enhance the quality of life for older adults through comprehensive assessment, personalized care planning, promotion of physical and mental well-being, and care coordination. Their compassionate care, combined with specialized knowledge and skills, enables older adults to maintain their independence, dignity, and overall quality of life. As the population ages, the role of geriatric nurses will become increasingly important in ensuring that older adults receive the care and support they need to thrive.