INTRODUCTION TO GERIATRIC NURSING

Firstly we must differentiate between two important concepts. People who doesn´t work in “health world” and sometimes even people who does, use to call both concepts with different words anyway.

GERONTOLOGY: is the science which studies the aging process in general and biological changes, psychological and social changes that occur in old age. It is not a specialty of medicine or nursing.

GERIATRICS: is the branch of medicine that studies the acute and chronic diseases "in the" older patients both in their clinical, preventive, social and therapeutic.

Development of Geriatrics:

- 1909 L. Nascher: 1st to use the word geriatrics

- 1940 A. Muller: "disease of aging"

- 1946 M. Warren: specialty of geriatrics

PRICIPLES OF GERIATRICS

1.      TAKE CARE, NOT CURE	8. THE ELDERLY MAY BE RAISED
2.      ESSENTIAL: COMPREHENSIVE GERIATRIC ASSESMENT	9. TO SEARCH UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESSES
3.      REQUIRES A MULTIDISCILINARY TEAM	10. TO BE ALERT TO ATYPICAL PRESENTATIONS OF DISEASE
4.     KNOWING WHEN TO TREAT AND / OR CURE. EFFECTIVE PALLIATION	11. DEPRESSION: THE GREAT MASKED OF GERIATRICS
5.      NOT OVERTREATED FOR MILD CONDITIONS OR TO SUBTREATED SERIOUR CONDITIONS	12. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPACT MORBID VISION AND HEARING LOSS
6.      TO REHABILITATE. STRIVE TO ACHIEVE INCREASES FUNCTIONALITY	13. ALWAYS TRY AND PREVENT FURTHER DISABILITY
7.      THE FAMILY IS CRITICAL TO GET A GOOD GERIATRIC CARE	“MY OWN PRINCIPLE”: TO TAKE CARE AS IF THE PATIENT YOU HAVE    IN FRONT OF YOU, WOULD BE YOUR GRANFATHER, GRANDMOTHER OR ONE OF YOUR PARENTS

Only If we use to take all of these principles of geriatrics when we take care older aging patients, we will provide a complete care and we will do as well as It is possible.

Before we look at the attitudes of others, it is important to examine or own attitudes, values, and knowledge about aging.

The nurse should be responsible of care process. (Legal Field)

People often think that elderly patients are only in nursing homes, but it is not right.

Elderly patients are treated in many health services. As a student at this stage I'm realizing that's the kind of population that demands more health care.

These are the services where nurses perform their duties with aging patients:

Scope Community Action in geriatric nursing

- Basic health areas:  Primary Care Center

- Programs or home care services: public or private

- Specialized social services: Day Centers, Sheltered apartments

- NGOs and Associations: Association for Families of Alzheimer's disease ...

- Specialized Services Center Sociomedical:

-Nursing Homes:

-          Services of medium / long stay

-          Psychogeriatric services,  Ortrogeriatrics

-          Day hospital

-          Rehabilitation centers

- Centers or hospital services

-Units of acute care hospitalization, consultations, emergency department ...

DIFFERENT WAYS TO AGING

The elderly are not aging in the same way to each other.

I am currently studying my practice in the emergency department of a general hospital in Zaragoza, what I mean is that it comes a large number of patients throughout the day and I can see and It amazed me about the different way that humans have to aging, regardless their age.

AGE (YEARS)	CATEGORY
55 to 64	Older
65 to 74	Elderly
75 to 84	Aged
85 and older	Extremely aged
60 to 74	Or Young-old
75 to 84	Middle old
85 and older	Old-old

DIFFERENT SITUATIONS OF AGING POPULATION

1. Healthy older person: that which does not suffer illness or present any degree of functional problems, social or mental.

2. Elderly sick: healthy old man with an acute illness. Not often have other major diseases, or mental or social problems. Similar to a sick adult

3. Frail elderly or high risk: those with one or more underlying diseases, which when offset allow the elderly to maintain their independence thanks to a fine balance with social and family environment. keep independence from precariously high risk of becoming dependent.

4 Patient Geriatric presents 3 or more of the following criteria:

a. Older than 75

b. relevant comorbidity

c. Character main disabling disease

d. There is mental illness

e. There are social problems related to their health.

REFERENCES:
Wold, Gloria. Basic Geriatric Nursing - Milwaukee Elsevier -5th ed.