Topics About 'Geriatric Nursing'.

We should never have gotten involved with this guy. First of all, Donald Lee* (name changed to protect privacy) was, in my humble opinion, much too young for assisted living. A short, compact man with salt-and-pepper hair, he was barely three years o...

Although I no longer work in the long term care industry, I am still acquainted with people who work in local LTC facilities. My close friend, a nurse manager at a local nursing home, griped to me about a recent state survey that involved two assista...

Many aspire to feel that rush or excitement of ER nursing, some want to cradle the precious newborns in the nursery or NICUs. Some want to be super-heros to sick kids. The list can go on and on, and that's the beautiful thing about this profession. L...

They couldn't safely give care to everyone who needed it because there was one particular lady who was very confused and had an exceptional case of restlessness that evening. She would try to wander continually except for brief 3-5 minute periods whe...

Some time ago I picked up PRN work at a rehab/LTC facility that ended quite poorly. I will first list my problems with the experience and then go in depth on the issue. I will draw comparisons and make stark contrasts. Let's first start with my list ...

Therapeutic lying is the practice of telling little 'white lies' or fibs to prevent from agitating the patient with dementia. Even though some of us were taught to never lie to any patient under any circumstances due to ethical issues, please realize...

Most nurses and CNAs have been taught the obvious -- elderly patients must be moved gently and carefully due to fragile skin and weakened bones - but few of us have been taught the subtler techniques of patient positioning that can often give good pa...

It never fails....you're walking down the hall to check on your new patient when you hear an aide loudly attempting to persuade sweet, confused, deaf-as-a-post Ethel to get into bed "BECAUSE IT'S NIGHTTIME AND EVERYONE IS GOING TO SLEEP!" Ethel, for ...

All names have been changed and some words are misspelled for pronunciation purposes and curse words have been changed or left out. She talked about dances they would be going to, hay rides, walks along the river, school and other things like that. W...

During the many years that I have spent browsing these forums, I have noticed a common theme regarding the preconceived notions that many people in healthcare have expressed about long term care (LTC) and the elderly population in general. To be stra...

The pale, haggard face and the expression of fear in the elderly gentleman's eyes are still fresh in my mind as I try once again to focus on getting myself safely home through the crush of Friday night freeway traffic. Gone is my customary resentment...

Having worked in long term care for some time, first as a CNA, now as a nurse, I know how important touch is to the residents. A hug, a hand on the back or shoulder, even a quick squeeze of the hand lets residents know that they are not alone, that s...

He was a Vietnam veteran, a 61-year-old black man with a dialysis port in his chest and bilateral leg amputations who lay in his narrow nursing-home bed, watching an NBA game on the 42-inch flat-screen TV perched precariously on the wall shelf above ...

I need to talk about my patient today. My days in the hospital are frequently hard and heartbreaking, but nothing I haven't learned to shake off by the time I walk through my front door. Occasionally, I need a good cry on the drive home, but it's cat...

I was a fairly new nurse, I had been working for approximately 6 months. One evening I listened to the report and then set about visiting and assessing my patients. As I came out of the report room, I noted "Oscar's" call light was on - impatient to ...

It's Saturday morning at Paradise Nursing and Rehabilitation Center*, and I've just arrived on the floor to pass the 0900 meds. Spying my cart, I can see that Mac has already been there, for once again there is a carefully arranged "house of cards" m...

The oldest members of this massive cohort are about to enter their senior years. This first wave, consisting of approximately 2.7 million people, will turn 65 in 2011. As the boomer's age, America as a whole is graying. The senior population itself i...

This poem has been passed around for decades, some nurses say they saw it back in the '70s. However, it's a great reminder especially with the new year near approaching. As the story goes...When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home...

It's generally my pleasure, to assist our older population - those 62 years old, and older - have the BEST life possible. As you all know, nurses have to ALWAYS shoot for 100%!!! We all continuously have to ASSESS, PLAN, IMPLEMENT, AND EVALUATE, our ...

I was "high power" for 20 years. I lived the fast lane at Rush University Medical Center, U of Illinois Hospital and Clinics, and 13 years at Loyola University Medical Center. Suddenly, in 2001, my life changed. I was not happy about it. I missed the...

Nursing is a very busy and rewarding career. During my 36 years, I have had many experiences in which I have been exhilarated, saddened, overwhelmed, and just plain exhausted. None, however, compare to the night that I was humbled right in the place ...

This one is about Ed, the crusty curmudgeon of "ear WAX!" fame from "Elders Say the Darnedest Things". Without revealing too many personal details, let us just say that this gentleman is one of my favorite residents, EVER. He's been on the ICF (other...