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Dimensions of Nurse Advocacy

Advocacy strategies for addressing some of the health care needs of the elderly include:

  • Taking time to think about your own preconceptions about aging and examining these for their validity. Do you know older people who don't fit your conception?
  • Treating elders with respect by recognizing their individuality and their rights to self-determination (to make their own choices). Imagine yourself as an older person and think about how you would like to be treated.
  • Viewing and assessing the person within his or her context to uncover unique health care needs.
  • Educating subordinates and peers about problems associated with aging, including ageism.
  1. How important is nurse advocacy in the care of elderly patients in your opinion?

  2. What is a typical example of nurse advocacy that you've seen at your agency?

  3. With limited financial resources to care for the elderly at home, do you think that home health nurses are really free to pursue advocacy on behalf of the patients that they see?

  4. What are some of the things that your agency is doing to enhance the advocacy role of the nurse in home health care of the elderly?

For more information, and answers to these questions, click here to view a video or read the text from our expert commentator, Virginia Tritschler, MS, RN.

The video is created in Real video format. If you don't have realPlayer installed in your machine, click on the following links for a free download

 
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