As a practicing nurse, Camilla Glenn of Lubbock, TX, has witnessed the changes to patient demographics over the last decade. As the age of patients increases, nurses must be prepared to meet their evolving demands accordingly.
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| Camilla Glenn Lubbock TX |
- The fastest growing demographic seen in patients all over the world is the elderly population. It is estimated that by the year 2020, more than twenty percent of the patient population will be older than sixty-five years of age.
- As elderly patients require a different level of treatment than that of a younger demographic, it is crucial that nurses understand those needs and know how to respond appropriately. Elderly patients have specific concerns, especially when considering weaker immune systems and end of life decisions.
- Aging populations also mean a greater number of patients in long-term care facilities. This will require a greater number of nurses to find employment in skilled nursing care and hospice-style establishments.
- Working with and caring for an older demographic will place nurses in the position to also maintain a greater communication level with the families of the patient. As adult children of the elderly are poised to make the important medical care decisions for their parents, the nurse will need to carefully and thoroughly educate their relatives on behalf of their patients.
- As a nurse's primary concern is always the advocacy of the patient, having a large number of elderly and aging persons to care for will turn that advocacy into a truly full-time job, a fact Camilla Glenn Lubbock TX, has witnessed personally.
