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Increase your geriatric I.Q.

Stressed Out Nurses Weekly, January 14, 2008

The need for geriatric knowledge development is a real one in today's nursing world. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an elderly population explosion between 2010 and 2030 is inevitable as the baby boomer generation reaches the age of 65. Much of healthcare is devoted to the care of older adults; patients over 65 reportedly make up 57% of all visits to a generalist physician, as well as 80% of all homecare visits. However, despite this fast-growing patient population, many nursing schools are not focusing on geriatric education.

"There really hasn't been much attention given to geriatrics in nursing school," says Jann Pfaff, MSN, RN, CNS, preceptor at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. "Sometimes, it's just that there isn't enough time. There are so many other things to get to and so many other specialties."

This leaves much of the development of a geriatric knowledge base in the hands of nurse educators at healthcare facilities, says Geri Heppe, MS, co-instructor of nursing at Waukesha Memorial Hospital in Madison, WI.

"We have to do it with our nurses," says Heppe. "That's how we are going to handle the geriatric population. Medicine has always changed historically through nursing care, so this is the right way to do it: hands-on with our nurses."

Questions that a nurse should consider during geriatric patient assessment include:

• Is the patient a fall risk?
• Is there dementia?
• Is there memory loss or confusion?
• How is the patient's sensory perception?
• Is there urinary incontinence?
• Are there signs of depression?

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