Welcome to our monthly eNewsletter featuring articles, reference materials, useful links, calendar of events and other best practice information on the care of older adults.

This eNewsletter is sponsored by ConsultGeriRN.org, the geriatric clinical nursing website of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University College of Nursing and the NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for HealthSystem Elders) Program, (www.nicheprogram.org). ConsultGeriRN.org is an evidence-based online resource for nurses in clinical and educational settings. New content includes updated evidence-based geriatric protocols and topics. Coming soon to ConsultGeriRN.org is a new online module for continuing education where you can earn contact hours for reviewing content. Resources available on ConsultGeriRN.org include hospital competencies, assessment tools, and geriatric resources by nursing specialty.

The rapid growth of the aging population is associated with an increase in the prevalence of progressive dementias. Nurses have a central role in assessment and management of individuals with progressive dementia. Dementia, a clinical syndrome of cognitive deficits that involves both memory impairments and a disturbance in at least one other area of cognition, affects about 5% of individuals 65 and older. Risk factors include advanced age, mild cognitive impairment, cardiovascular disease, genetics, and environment, such as head injury and alcohol abuse.

Learn more about this topic and the resources available on the assessment and care strategies associated with Dementia on ConsultGeriRN.org.

Geriatric Nursing, a journal published by Elsevier, Inc. has devoted a special issue on the outcomes of a five-year project to improve care of older adults through specialty nursing organizations. The project engaged members of 55 specialty nursing organizations to enhance geriatric-related education that is highly targeted to nurses practicing within each specialty.

"Specialty nurses constitute a large component of the nurse workforce in ambulatory-care settings, hospitals, home care, and long-term care, where in most settings the majority of patients are over 65. Yet, most of these nurses have not received education targeted toward geriatric patients," says Mathy Mezey, director of The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at NYU College of Nursing. "There is much evidence that nurses who have been educated about principles of geriatric care, either in academic programs or through on-the-job training, contribute to improved outcomes for their older patients." View this supplement, which is available free of charge, online.

Started in 1992, NICHE, a program of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, is a national geriatric nursing program comprising of 230 hospitals in more than 40 states, Canada and the Netherlands. NICHE is unlike other programs in that it does not prescribe how institutions should modify geriatric care; rather, it provides the materials and services necessary to stimulate and support the planning and implementation process.

The focus of NICHE is on programs and protocols that are dominantly under the control of nursing practice; in other words, areas where nursing interventions have a substantive and positive impact on patient care.

The NICHE program recently held its 2008 conferences in Philadelphia, PA from February 17-21st. The three conferences, Leadership, Best Clinical Practices, and User, were co-sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania and had over 500 participants from 230 sites. The Penn Center for Gerontologic Nursing Science provided Penn Faculty for the Keynote Address for each of the conferences. The NICHE program is under the leadership of Elizabeth Capezuti, PhD, RN, FAAN.

Visit the NICHE website, www.nicheprogram.org, for more information on the program and hospitals involved in this initiative.

The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at NYU's College of Nursing and The American Journal of Nursing recently launched a collaborative project called How to Try This, a series of free Web-based resources. The How to Try This series translates the evidence-based geriatric assessment tools in the Hartford Institute's Try This assessment series into cost-free, web-based resources including demonstration videos, and a corresponding print series featured in the AJN, developed to build geriatric assessment skills - the foundation for appropriate care of older adults. New topics are added each month. For the month of April, the topics are:

Avoiding Restraints in Patients with Dementia:
  Article     Video

Communication Difficulties in Hospitalized Older Adults:
  Article     Video

Videos can be watched in their entire format, or in chapters that relate to the specific assessment skills described above. Continuing education hours are also offered.
View more information about the series and topics covered.

Add a link to ConsultGeriRN.org on your website! Free banner ads and other marketing materials are now available in the resources section of ConsultGeriRN.org.

American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN)
April 17-20, 2008
The American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) will be holding its 33rd annual conference in Chicago, IL, April 17-20, 2008. The conference will feature nationally-known speakers to present the latest information on a broad range of pertinent and timely ambulatory care nursing topics. The theme of this year's conference is "Reflective Leadership."
View more information

Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA)
April 24-26, 2008
PCNA will be holding its 14th Annual Symposium April 24-26, 2008 in Orlando, Fl. The conference will have cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share their expertise and research findings in the field of cardiovascular risk reduction and disease management. Attendees will include nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dietitians, exercise physiologists, and other cardiovascular healthcare professionals and cover topics such as Prevention in the Elderly, Models of Care, Lifetime Risk of CVD and Health Disparities.
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American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE)
April 21-29, 2008
AONE will be holding its 41st Annual Meeting & Exposition April 25-29, 2008 in Seattle, WA. This year's theme is "Visionary Vistas: The Freedom to Explore." Sessions presented by AONE members, will be centered on the five distinct themes of strategic and workforce issues: globalization, complexity and chaos theory, technology, and health care policy.
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American Nephrology Nurses' Association (ANNA)
April 27-30, 2008
ANNA will be holding its 39th National Symposium April 27-30, 2008, at the Philadelphia Marriott & Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA. The meeting, planned around the theme "Evidence and Nursing Informatics to Improve Safety and Outcomes," will feature an exciting and education-packed program. Registration materials are now available.
View more information

If you have questions or comments, or if you have a geriatric-related story or event you would like featured in our newsletter, please send your request to editor@consultgerirn.org.