Principles of nursing Management of Older People Requiring Aged Care

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Principles of nursing Management of
Older People Requiring Aged Care
Introduction
Aging people are faced with increased need for health care services. Principles of nursing
management constitute what is effective and safe nursing care and aspects of attitudes, behavior,
and approach that enhance good care. Gerontological nurses need to collaboratively work with
old patients, their communities, and families to support aging healthy ,maximize functionality
and achieve quality of life (Jeon, Merlyn, Sansoni, & Glasgow, 2017).. Gerontological nursing
management is important to meeting multidisciplinary health needs of the increasing aging
population. The increase of aging population is as a result of increased life expectancy in the
modern society as compare to past societies. It is estimated that 20% of men and34% of women
above 65 years require aging care in Australia (Davis, Morgans, & Burgess, 2017). Aging care
require standardized principles of nursing to maintain high quality health care delivery and older
people dignity. The following critical analysis paper analyses the principles of nursing
management of older people requiring aged care. This will involve reviewing literature from
journals, books and credible government or other regulatory organizations relating to
gerontological nursing. The paper will also discuss how the knowledge gained in this critical
analysis will assist advancing my nursing role in aged care.
Critical Analysis and literature Review
Defining Gerontology and Issues in Aging Care
Gerontology has been extensively studied in Australia. Nurses are at the center of delivering
aged care and their effectiveness largely determines the effectiveness of the ageing care health
system. Gerontology nursing is governed Australian Association of Gerontology’s (AAG) in
Australia. The mission is to improve older people aging experience through research, policies,
and professional practice. The AAG was formed in 1964 and has been peak body connecting
professionals in different fields in ageing. The AAG members are aged care leaders, researchers,
nurses, geriatricians, allied health professionals, advocates for aging people health and policy

makers. AAG defines gerontology as the study of older adults and the process of ageing. This
definition includes the scientific study of bodily changes that are associated with a person body
from middle age to later life. AAG therefore view gerontology is multidisciplinary and involves
mental, physical, and social aspects of old people health as a result of aging. Within the AAG,
the Australian Association of Gerontology nurses Special Interest Group (AAGNSIG) was
formed. The group promotes specialized nursing knowledge and expertise in the Gerontological
nursing practice, administration, education, and research in Australia. The AAGNSIG provides
nurses with professional practice and discipline in care centers. Gerontological nursing is a
discipline of nursing that specializes with older adults care (Bolzon, 2015). Gerontological
nursing work to provide care and improve quality of life of old adults through evidence based
nursing intervention.
Jeon et al. (2015) acknowledges that quality health serves for aging population is a fundamental
right to human dignity. They noted that older adults require access to planned and well resourced
integrated health care that is affordable, flexible, equitable, and accessible and should recognize
diversity and promote respect and choices of the patients. Bolzon, (2015) found that one of the
aging care challenges was the system model inability to respond to patients needs. He concluded
that Australian aging care system need to focus on expanding it ability to provide best care to
older patients in best settings, applying best practice in order to achieve maximum mental and
physical capacity while minimizing disability. The other challenge in aging care is changes in
physical and social aspects of a person in the old age. According to Barrie, 2017), human body
changes physically that affect an individual ability to act independently thereby requiring support
for physical activities. Edvardsson et al., (2015) stated that human being mental change affect
how an individual can properly and logically think, remember, and solve a problem. These
challenges differentiate ageing care needs from other health care need necessitating more
responsive, flexible and respectful nursing management principles. The AAG agrees that the
aging care challenges can be solved by adequately supplying basic aging care services and
ensuring they are time responsive to old adults’ needs as their health deteriorate and social
support network weakens. The principles of nursing management in ageing care are therefore
meant to set expected professionalism practice, behavior, and attitude for effective delivery of
aging care. They also determine how aging care systems are implemented to be responsive to old
people life situation and ensure dignity is upheld until the end of their lives.