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Gerontological Care

Student Full Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course Full Title

Instructor Full Name

Due Date
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Gerontological Care

Gerontology nurses are nursing specialists who help older adults attain a high quality of

life through specialized care. Smith et al. (2022) conducted a study in gerontological care

settings in Ontario, Canada, to examine how nursing education and personal attitudes toward

older adults affect the choice of newly registered nurses to provide gerontological care. They

found that only 14% of the 181 participants were interested in providing gerontological care.

Most students lack interest in working in gerontological care due to negative attitudes towards

geriatrics and anxiety concerning ageing. Moreover, I encountered challenges such as assisting

older patients with their activities of daily living (ADLs) during my previous experiences

providing care. Therefore, past experiences with older adults can also contribute to

underserving in gerontology nursing.

Nursing educational institutions can increase the interest of nursing students in

gerontological care through various means. The statistics from the Administration on Aging

(AoA) on A Profile of Older Americans project that the population of adults over 85 years will

increase from 6.3 million to about 14.6 million between 2015 and 2040 (Administration on

Aging, 2016). These statistics emphasize the need to increase the population of gerontological

nurses to meet the rising demands. The nursing faculty can achieve this goal by motivating

nurse students to pursue courses with gerontological concepts and proposing requirements

such as previous work experience with older adults before admission. The institutions should

also integrate gerontological content into nursing program courses. Therefore, these steps will

assist nursing students in overcoming their negative attitudes towards older adults.
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Both A Profile of Older Americans: 2016 and the Standards and Scope of Practice in

Nursing emphasize the cost associated with older adults care. The United States (US) healthcare

industry incurred $3,893, $967, $672, and $224 for insurance, medical services, drugs, and

medical supplies, amounting to 68%, 17%, 12%, and 4% of the average costs, respectively

(Administration on Aging, 2016). The ANA also emphasizes that the healthcare industry

experiences pressure to reduce healthcare expenses for older adults. The nurses lead in

providing innovative and holistic care for high-cost patients in healthcare facilities with lower

costs (American Nurses Association, 2015). The ANA adopted a socially accountable care

organization approach to reduce the high costs of older adults care. Therefore, the approach

directs cost-intensive patients to low-cost care facilities rather than taking them to inpatient

beds and emergency rooms.

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References

Administration on Aging. (2016). Profile of Older Americans: 2016. Administration of Healthy

Living. https://acl.gov/aging-and-disability-in-america/data-and-research/profile-older-

americans

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (3rd ed.).

Nursesbooks.org.

Smith, J., Sawhney, M., Duhn, L., & Woo, K. (2022). The Association Between new Nurses'

Gerontological Education, Personal Attitudes Toward Older Adults, and Intentions to

Work in Gerontological Care Settings in Ontario, Canada. The Canadian journal of

nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieres, 54(2), 190–

198. https://doi.org/10.1177/08445621211063702