Summary

When providing care for older adults, it is crucial to understand how your patients develop and change over time. Older adults experience many challenges with their physiological, psychological, and psychosocial environment. Developmental changes and challenges are common but are not universal. Nurses across all specialties must provide compassionate and individualized care for older adults.

Physical changes in older adulthood affect all organ systems. By understanding physiological and physical changes that develop with age, nurses can tailor care to promote wellness for each patient. Nurses must diligently monitor for psychological changes that may signal mental health disorders or cognitive decline in older adults.

With a strong understanding of the older adult developmental stage, nurses can empower their clients with positive coping strategies. Patients must adapt to physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes, and nurses are an excellent resource for maximizing older adult wellness.

Clearly understanding theories of aging puts nurses at an advantage when caring for older adults. Older adults’ physical abilities, disease burden, and cognitive functioning vary significantly. This variation may be related to advancing age but is more often unique to each individual. Using Erikson’s psychosocial development theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a springboard, nurses can target specific needs and risks for each patient to create an individualized care plan.

Havighurst’s activity theory is highly applicable to nursing practice. Nurses practicing activity-focused care create a positive patient wellness and healing environment. Tailoring interventions based on each patient’s level of engagement encourages a sense of belonging and acceptance regardless of their physical abilities.

By applying theories that provide accurate depictions of aging, nurses can modify their mindset and learn how to provide age-appropriate care that produces positive patient outcomes. A strong understanding of these theories can help the nurse to dispel the many myths around aging.

Health risks vary widely among older adults. While some adults have few health concerns, nurses need to understand the common health risks in this population. Awareness of the risks allows nurses to make informed treatment plans. Health risks fall into three categories: physiological, psychological, and psychosocial. The health risks in these categories frequently overlap. Physiological changes can strain psychosocial interactions, and cognitive decline may affect physical and psychosocial functioning.

Physiological health risks include changes that lead to illness or injury. Older adults are at risk for mobility, nutrition, and overall functional ability changes. Psychological changes such as cognitive decline and dementia are often progressive. Psychological changes often affect the functional ability of the patient. Nurses must diligently monitor for progressive and acute mental status changes that can affect patient outcomes. Tools are available for nurses to monitor the mental health of their patients. Recognizing depression, grief, and loneliness is the first step in maintaining a healthy outlook during older adulthood.

Psychosocial changes in older adulthood put individuals at risk for mental health disorders such as depression and loneliness. Nurses play a role in assisting older adults in developing coping skills to deal with changes in living environment, transportation, and available resources. Nurses must always be alert for signs of abuse and maintain an awareness of health disparity that may affect the quality of life of their patients.

Nurses care for older adults in primary care, specialty care, home care, and long-term care settings. Regardless of the setting, the key roles of nurses are illness prevention and wellness maintenance. Nurses must promote health screening options by following current medical guidelines. Working with healthcare providers to perform functional and comprehensive health assessments allows nurses to tailor care to each individual. Routinely performing assessments enables nurses to identify risks and recommend appropriate referrals.

Nurses continuously collaborate with other medical professionals in specialty clinics. This might include interdisciplinary teams, including physician specialists, mental health professionals, physical therapists, pharmacists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists. Collaboration with support services, including social workers, spiritual leaders, and counselors, is also crucial. Nurses may create active treatment plans or ensure that specialist referrals are processed. The ability to identify a need and enlist the appropriate collaborative team members is a unique strength of nurses.