Role opportunities for nurses in community care in elderly

Role opportunities for nurses in Community Care in elderly Community nurses focus on – Health promotion – Disease prevention – Wellness (Westley & Fletcher, 2004 cited in Stanhope & Lancaster, 2004). To achieve these goals, nurses are involved in – Client and community education – Counselling – Advocacy – Care management (Westley & Fletcher, 2004 cited in Stanhope & Lancaster, 2004). Health promotion: Community nurses may inform health promotion strategies according to individual differences. Health promotion strategies: – Maintaining an active lifestyle (physically and mentally) – Belonging to a social network – Feeling independent, useful and valued – Having good nutrition – Believing in “ God” – Having a sense of humour – Exercising healthy coping strategies (Ebersole & Hess, 2004; Ronch & Goldfield, 2003; Kending & Brooke, 2004) Disease prevention: There are three levels of prevention related to older adults. 1. Primary prevention 2. Secondary prevention (Screening) 3. Tertiary prevention (Maintenance and rehabilitation) (Westley & Fletcher, 2004 cited in Stanhope & Lancaster, 2004; Williams & Rhead, 2003 cited in Watkins; Edwards & Gastrell, 2004) Rehabilitation is a combination of physical, occupational, psychological, and speech therapy to help debilitated persons maintain or recover their physical capacities. Rehabilitation is typically needed for older adults after a hip fracture, stroke, or prolonged illness that results in serious deconditioning (Westley & Fletcher, 2004 cited in Stanhope & Lancaster, 2004). Wellness: Wellness is not merely the absence of disease or illness. Wellness includes the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual components of a person. There are five dimensions of wellness. 1. Self-responsibility 2. Nutritional awareness 3. Physical fitness 4. Stress management 5. Environmental sensitivity (Westley & Fletcher, 2004 cited in Stanhope & Lancaster, 2004). The five-step nursing process remains same while community nurse works in the community. Assessment-Analysis-Planning-Implementation-Evaluation (McEwen, 2002). References: Ebersole, P., & Hess, P. (2004). Toward Healthy Aging: Human Needs and Nursing Response. (6th Ed.). St. Louis: Mosby. Kendig, H., & Brooke, L. (2004). Understanding community nursing for older individuals and carers. In Nay, R., & Garratt, S. (Eds.). Nursing Older People: Issues and Innovations. (6th Ed.). Sydney: Churchill-Livingstone. McEwen, M. (2002). Community-Based Nursing An Introduction. (2nd Ed.). Sydney: SAUNDERS Elsevier Science. Ronch, J. A., & Goldfield, J. L. (2003). Mental Wellness in Aging — Strengths-Based Approaches. USA: Health Professionals press. Williams, R. W., & Rhead, L. (2003). Community learning disability nursing. In Watkins, D., Edwards, J., & Gastrell, P. (Eds.). Community Health Nursing: Framework for Practice. (2nd Ed.). Sydney: Bailliere Tindall Elsevier Science. Westley, J. C., & Fletcher, R. K. (2004). Health of Older Adult. In Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (Eds.). Community & Public Health Nursing. (6th Ed.). St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier.