Saturday, August 29, 2009

Getting Know Geriatric Nursing

by Bart Icles

Nursing is one of the medical professions that remain to be attractive to students. We may all well know that nursing involves care for patients suffering from diseases and illnesses, care for newborns, care for babies, and care for those who have been involved or are involved in a medical emergency. But do you know that there is a specific field of nursing that concentrates on the care of the elderly? Geriatric nursing refers to the care of older adults and it involves the management of their different needs. It also addresses issues that older adults might have with drugs and infections.

It is quite a challenge to provide nursing services to aged individuals. One of the primary reasons is the complexity of their conditions. This is also the main reason why the elderly always deserve a certain degree of personal attention. Geriatric nurses are tasked to address the different needs of aged individuals to promote their health so they can age successfully. Their needs typically vary depending on the physical, psychological, social, cultural, and family concerns that they might have.

Aged individuals can suffer from different kinds of diseases and illnesses. Geriatric nursing aims to address these different concerns to alleviate the discomfort and pain that the elderly can suffer from. These include pressure injuries. Most old people suffer from pressure ulcers or lesions often caused by unrelieved outside pressure. The ulcers develop when there is blocked or obstructed blood flow, tissue ischemia, and cell death. When left untreated, pressure injuries can become chronic and can become causes of great discomfort among older adults.

Another field of interest for geriatric nursing involves the management of cardiovascular disease. Most, if not all, aged individuals suffer from diseases that affect the circulatory system. More often than not, heart diseases are caused by disruptions in blood circulation due to constricted blood vessels, spasms in the heart and blood vessels, and occlusion. Atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis are the two kinds of heart disease that many old people suffer from.

There are still many areas of concern when it comes to geriatric nursing. This makes it a very attractive degree because students will be able to explore many different fields of the human anatomy, not to mention that the elderly can have very special needs. One can lookup degrees offered by many colleges and universities to learn more about this very interesting field of nursing. Another option is to browse the internet for online degrees on such a field of specialization.

About the Author:

Geriatric nursing is a unique field because you get the chance to work with a very specific market of people and you learn to cater directly to their needs. A geriatric nurse is someone who is kind, gentle, loves to listen and yet can uphold their demeanor in a professional way at all times.

View this post on my blog: http://travelnursesuccess.com/getting-know-geriatric-nursing

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