Greetings!

Welcome to the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing's October 2009 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.

ConsultGeriRN.org is the authoritative 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 contains evidence-based protocols and topics for nurses and other healthcare professionals on the care of older adults. Content is updated regularly.

We would like to hear from you!

The UN General Assembly named October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons on December 14, 1990, following up on initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed later that year by the assembly. The International Day of Older Persons was observed for the first time throughout the world on October 1, 1991.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which is the UN's directing and coordinating authority for health related issues, and other groups have been actively involved in promoting public awareness and attention on the International Day of Older Persons. Discussions are centered on topics such as: ageing populations and the provision of adequate healthcare for aged persons; volunteer work; social care; and ways to be more inclusive of older persons in the workforce.
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Fall 2009 Webinar Series:

Improving the Geriatric Care Environment

Call for Presentation and Poster Abstracts - 2010 Annual NICHE Conference

Depression, both major depressive disorders and minor depression, is highly prevalent in community-dwelling, medically-ill, and institutionalized older adults. Consequences of depression include amplification of pain and disability, delayed recovery from illness and surgery, worsening of drug side effects, excess use of health services, cognitive impairment, subnutrition, and increased suicide- and nonsuicide-related death.

Recognition of depression is hindered by the coexistence of physical illness and social and economic problems common in late life. Early recognition, intervention, and referral by nurses can reduce the negative effects of depression.
Learn more about "Depresssion" with references and resources by visiting ConsultGeriRN.org.

We've changed how you can view the How to Try This:® Series videos - the videos are now also hosted on ConsultGeriRN.org, and can be played in your web browser with a single click from the Resources/Try This Series page! It is important to note that the AJN videos, articles, and information on receiving CE credit are still available at www.nursingcenter.com.
View the Assessment Tools: Try This Series and How to Try This page on ConsultGeriRN.org.

A new Try This:® Specialty Practice Series has been developed to highlight the specific concerns of specialty practice nurses in dealing with the care of older adults. In creating these issues, The Hartford Institute has partnered with specialty nursing organizations and individuals with expertise in their specialized field of practice. The first issue of this series entitled "Assessment of Nociceptive versus Neuropathic Pain in Older Adults", was written by a member of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN), Paul Arnstein, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, FNP-C. Dr. Arnstein is a clinical nurse specialist for pain relief at Massachusetts General Hospital and is also the past president of ASPMN, and as such brings a breadth of in-depth understanding on the subject of pain and care of older patients. This Try This issue is one of the resources developed as part of ASPMN's activities for the REASN initiative.
View Try This: Assessment of Nociceptive versus Neuropathic Pain in Older Adults

The Hartford Institute's Advanced Practice: Web Based Case Studies have been redesigned, and are now hosted on ConsultGeriRN.org. They are accessible to all ConsultGeriRN.org registered users (registration is free). Constructed to mirror case studies typically used in nurse practitioner education, the geriatric case studies were developed by expert geriatric faculty with the support and guidance of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Unlike the previous version, answers to questions are saved, so you can work through a case study over multiple sessions, and review previous answers!
View The Case Studies

Elaine S. Gould, MSW
Consultant Advisor
Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing
New York University College of Nursing &
Principal, Aging Awareness Initiatives

How frustrating it is for you - the well-meaning health care professional - when older adults don't do what you tell them to do. You are using your best clinical judgment, and yet they don't "comply." To make matters worse, they say they will -- but they don't. That is called Conciliatory Resistance - or yes-ing you to death. They don't do as you ask for a host of reasons, and they are often embarrassed to tell you.

If your health care plan requires changes in life style and medication regimens, older adults may not adhere to your suggestions because "it is just too much trouble" or they see that they have managed to muddle through in their own accustomed way. Your best judgment comes to naught if it is not implemented. So when dictating PLAN A doesn't work, collaborate with your patient and work out a PLAN B together.

The NYC Department of Health has an excellent My Diabetes Self-Management Goal Setting Sheet that was devised for diabetics but could be used in any collaborative management setting. It focuses on incremental goals, strategies for goal attainment, and barriers to implementation. Here it is as a PDF. It is part of the Diabetes Action Kit.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/csi/diabeteskit-clin-selfmgt-goalsht.pdf

Also, check out the useful resources to encourage patient education on a host of subjects on the DOH website. www.nyc.gov/doh. It has Action Kits for a variety of health concerns.
What are your thoughts and ideas on this subject? Respond to us on our Hartford Institute forums!

The Hartford Institute will be exhibiting at the Nursing Organizations Alliance's 2009 Fall Summit, held November 19-21, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky. The purpose of the 2009 Fall Summit is to provide a forum for identification, education, and collaboration building on issues of common interest to advance the nursing profession. The Fall Summit is designed for the chief elected officers and chief staff officers of The Alliance member organizations. Specialty Associations involved in the Hartford Institute's REASN initiative will be in attendance.

The Eldercare Workforce Alliance, of which the Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations (CGNO) is a member, brought more than fifty advocates and constituents to Capitol Hill on September 15, 2009 to deliver a critical message to Congress: A strong eldercare workforce is essential to real health reform.

The Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA), a broad-based coalition of 29 national organizations representing all aspects of the health care delivery system, supports practical solutions to improve health care quality for older adults by strengthening the eldercare workforce.
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