Providing Health Care - Ageing And Families September 24, 2009

LOCAL EXPERTS WILL PRESENT UPDATES ON CLINICAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES AND ON PROVIDING HEALTH CARE TO THE AGEING AND THEIR FAMILIES

Older Adults Consume the Majority of the Nation’s Health Care Services

Indianapolis – Local experts in health care for ageing individuals will present a one-day seminar, “Living Well, Living Long” from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., September 25 2009 at the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, 550 W. North St., Indianapolis. This seminar, the second in the Contemporary Issues For Clinical Practice series, is jointly sponsored by Alpha Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, Clarian Heath and STTI. Additional support for this program was provided by the Indiana University School of Nursing and Trinity Health Services. Participation in this seminar will provide the contemporary nurse with the ability to inform and improve practice for ageing patients and their families.

Registration is $75for STTI members and Clarian employees; $20for students; $90 for all other attendees. Registrations must be received by 15 September 2009. For registration information, contact Marsha L. Ellett, DNS, RN, Indiana University School of Nursing, 1111 Middle Drive, Room 439, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5107, [email protected], or view the Alpha Chapter Web page at http://www.nursingsociety.org/STTIEvents/NursingConferences/Pages/NursingConferences.aspx.

Geriatric nursing leadership is critical, as older adults consume the majority of the nation’s health care services. Geriatric patients use 50 percent of all hospital and nursing care, more than 80 percent of home care services and occupy 90 percent of all nursing home beds in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (2004). These numbers will rise as baby boomers age and place greater demands on health care providers.
“Nurses are pivotal to the delivery of quality care to geriatric patients,” said Mary Rita Hurley, RN, MPA, and Ageing Initiatives director at STTI. “Yet many nurses do not have the necessary skills to lead in geriatric clinical settings.”

“The honor society recognizes that geriatric care is a key and growing requirement in nursing as baby boomers reach their 60s and beyond,” said Patricia Thompson, RN, EdD, FAAN, STTI Chief Executive Officer.

Six continuing education contact hours will be awarded to nurses who attend the entire program. Faculty members are local experts in ageing health care initiatives, research and practice. Topics to be presented include:

Dementia, Delirium, Depression, by Prudence Twigg, PhDc, APRN
Staying Physically Active, by Pamela Flannery, BS, MSW
Polypharmacy and the Elderly, by Prudence Twigg, PhDc, APRN
Developing Geriatric Leaders, by Mary Rita Hurley, RN, MPA
Palliative Care, Living Well at the End of Life, by Gerald Walthall, MD
The Sandwich Generation, by Kathy Frank, PhD, APRN

The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the learning, knowledge, and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide. Founded in 1922, the Honor Society of Nursing has inducted more than 400,000 members in 86 countries. Members include practicing nurses, instructors, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and others. The honor society's 469 chapters are located at 571 institutions of higher education throughout Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Swaziland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, the United States and Wales. More information about the honor society can be found online at www.nursingsociety.org.