Student Nurse Objectives in Elderly Care

• Student nurses have to develop many skills in the course of their training. If they, with the help of their tutors, set learning objectives for each of their placements, this helps add focus to their time in each setting. Academic development must take place alongside practical skill-building. Some student nurses find their elderly care placement difficult, perhaps finding the prospect less exciting than the more acute nursing settings. However, much essential nursing care skill can be honed in caring for the elderly.

Communication Skills

• The student nurse can expand and develop her communication skills in the elderly care setting. She is likely to communicate with elderly people who have suffered a stroke or who have a visual or hearing impairment. She will need to overcome these barriers and maintain effective communication with the elderly person. Some older people are confused. This may be because of an acute condition or may be because of dementia. The student nurse should deepen her understanding of these conditions and improve her interpersonal skills.

Nutrition

• Many elderly people suffer from poor nutrition and dehydration. This may be because of depression, lack of appetite or the inability to cook and look after themselves. A student nursing objective may include concentrating on gaining knowledge on nutrition and hydration. The student nurse will learn how to measure fluid intake and output. He will also learn about nutritional supplements and about how to feed and forms of feeding.

Hygiene and Skin Care

• The student nurse will learn the practical skills of keeping a patient clean, while maintaining as much of her independence as possible. All aspects of hygiene must be explored and understood, including oral care and catheter care.

General Health

• The student nurse can learn about many conditions while caring for the elderly group. Many elderly people take medication for a range of conditions, including congestive cardiac failure, angina and diabetes. Not only will the student nurse learn about the conditions, but she will also improve her understanding of both medications used and routine tests carried out, such as urinalysis and blood pressure recording. The student nurse will also learn how to carry out these tests.