The role of the nurse in gerontology rehabilitation

Abstract

Healthy older people, are precious resource. The number of older people in the world have been growing in both absolute number can be traced through advances in medical science that improved survival. Disability become more common in advancing age. Successful management of complex clinical conditions will need immediate response, skilled assessment and highly organized team work of the risk of long term dependency is to be avoided. Nurses play a vital role in gerontology rehabilitation. Government need to give adequate rehabilitation services to their older aduits popuiation as adequate rehab services would decrease the amount of money spent in hospital management. Aim: To explore the relevance of the role of the nurse and their contributions in rehabilitation and its effect as a determinant of promoting healthy aging in this community. Method :The study adopted a qualitative research method to describe the role of the nurses delivering rehabilitative services at the Zammit Clapp Hospital. The descriptive-exploratory design with a n approach of yielding data at a viewpoints of the rehabilitative nursing care nurses. The study was design consisting of semi structured interview of ten nurses employed with Zammit Clapp hospital with the aim at exploring their contributions in rehabilitative care of the elderly. All interviews were documented on proper case notes. Results: The study revealed the competences of the nurses role in the management in gerontology rehabilitation care at the mentioned hospital is aimed to a high standard. In spite of certain constraint mainly manpower and certain important resources need to promote that service to a higher standard, nurses have worked within the multidisciplinary team and achieved positive outcome in their desired task. Certain recommendation were highly view by all participants in the field of providing more educational course, reorientation of the service at more community level and employment of more skilled personals. Policy makers should conduct more research in this scope of practice to motivate new nurses to take this challenge and reduce stigma of gerontological nursing. Conclusion: The study revealed that nurses have striked to implement their skills and knowledge of gerontological practice to the best of their ability. However, meeting these challenges substantial commitment and resources were required, preventive activities is an important tool. Basic nursing skills applied to patients care are becoming more aimed at promoting functional ability. society is increasingly dealing with chronic degenerative diseases in later life. Policy makers should contribute towards the extension of care if they believe that such change will be cost effective to substitute rehabilitation through all the relevance programs in assisting the elderly who required such services.