Nursing the Older Patient

The nature of care for older people has changed greatly since the first edition of this book was published. Each chapter has been updated to address these changes, the most profound of which has been the move to "care in the community".

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The nature of care for older people has changed greatly since the first edition of this book was published. Each chapter has been updated to address these changes, the most profound of which has been the move to "care in the community", with major implications for the ways in which care of older people is organized within the hospitals and in community settings. Health-care developments such as the creation of the purchase-provider split also have practical and ethical dimensions as the rise in the numbers of older people puts increasing pressure on health-care budgets. The book has extensive coverage of the areas of concern to nurses working with older people, and innovations and changes in clinical practice, such as new ideas about managing continence, are discussed in depth. Ethical, social and cultural issues are interwoven throughout, so that the various aspects of patient care are considered within the context of the individual patient's needs and circumstances.