The most effective way to learn about gerontological nursing is to work with older individuals in order to understand their perspectives – their lives and relationships, their personal experiences of health and ill-health, and their priorities and choices in their current situations. Expert professional supervision and learning resources which are evidence-based, up-to-date and readily accessible support the learning processes. When personal engagement with older individuals is not available, case studies can offer a useful focus for learning.
This book sets out 109 case examples and a range of learning resources which aim to help nurses develop appropriate interventions and provide a basis for evaluating care outcomes. The cover text states that the content is geared for American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the United States of America (USA) National League for Nursing accreditation and that it will be useful for courses specific to gerontology nursing or across any nursing curriculum.
Compiled with the help of 20 contributors, the content covers a broad range of issues such as expected age changes, cultural awareness and safety concerns, along with care in various settings including community, acute and long-term facilities. The foreword highlights the inclusion of topical psycho-social issues including hoarding behaviour, emergency preparedness and long-distance care-giving. In order to counter potentially detrimental perceptions of ageing that students might encounter, many of the clients in the case studies are living predominantly healthy, productive lives with stable support systems.
The text is well structured and easy to navigate and the index is useful. Each case study offers considerable detail about an older individual or couple and their circumstances, including family or significant relationships, their health experiences and any services they receive. These are followed by suggested activities inviting learners to search for information or answer questions. The exercises aim to facilitate learning and critical thinking, including statements that invite learners to reflect, for example, on how a situation could have been handled differently. Three or four resources are suggested for each case.
Gerontology Nursing Case Studies contains a great deal of valuable learning and, within the US context for which it was written, the book achieves its aims. In other geographical locations, the case examples offer a useful basis for learning but teachers/facilitators will need to check the case studies and the suggested resources carefully in order to ensure that all the details are relevant and appropriate to the context in which the learner will be working and the care delivered.
Some sections will not be relevant outside the USA, such as the first chapter on Political, Ethical and Legal Issues. For students/learners in the United Kingdom (UK), the context would need to be specific to UK legislation (including that of devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). The professional context would need to encompass the requirements of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and also guidance, e.g. from the Royal College of Nursing. The care and practice context should encompass current good practice guidance, e.g. from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). Other amendments for outside the USA include the range of services available to older people and the range of roles within these. The models, frameworks and tools in common practice are also different. More subtle differences include the terminology – terms such as ‘geriatric’ or ‘the elderly’ are not best practice in the UK and other terms such as ‘geriatric fiblets’ are not used. Particular care will be needed when looking at areas such as safeguarding adults, mistreatment, abuse, neglect and physical restraint, where requirements for practice are specific in the UK. Frailty is another area where there has been a great deal of development in the UK in the last couple of years and this section would require considerable rethinking in order to resonate with UK nurses.
The challenge with textbooks such as this is ensuring they remain relevant and learning resources are increasingly being published online where material can be made more easily accessible, widely available and, crucially, more easily updated. For professors who adopt the book there is a fully updated answer guide available from the publishers.
Overall, this book provides useful resources for learning about gerontological nursing and working with older people and families in the USA. Teachers/learning facilitators in the UK and other countries will need to check all the detail carefully and make appropriate amendments before using the case studies within their specific legislative, guidance and professional practice contexts.
