Geriatric Nursing

One category of nursing that is in high demand is nurses that care for elderly or terminally ill. Geriatric nurses care for the elderly. They focus on the development and implementation of treatment plans for chronic illnesses. Diabetes, hypertension and respiratory disorders are illnesses that the nurse will care for. Geriatric nurses must often deal with families of elderly patients who suffer from acute and chronic conditions.

Geriatric nurses have many places that they could work. A few of the top jobs include hospital, nursing homes, assisted living and community health centers. Geriatric nurses provide love and care for their patients and deliver in home treatment to patients who require regular medical assistance but may be able to partly care for their selves.

Geriatric nurses often care for those with diminishing mental capacities, dementia and Alzheimer Duties of the geriatric nurse include:

• / assist the doctor during exams and procedures
• performing patient medical tests in home or in a medical office
• establishes a patient care plan and sets health goals
• takes care of the patients medications and administers medication based on care plan\
• teach family members about a patients condition and how to promote self care skills

The job outlook for geriatric nurses is bright. It is predicted by the year 2030 nearly 20% of Americans will be age 65 or older. Older adults represent half of all hospital stays. Geriatric nursing careers is believed to expand over the coming decades. Both nursing homes and hospitals are predicted to have increase in employment/