Geriatrics Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Geriatrics, including details on old age, psychiatry, depression, medicine.

Teaching the geriatric patient: making the most of "cognitive resources" and "gains".

Cutilli CC

Carolyn Crane Cutilli, MSN, RN, ONC, CRRN, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Acute Rehabilitation Unit, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Doctoral Student at Duquesne University School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Educating the older adult about healthcare information can be a challenge because of the cognitive decline that accompanies the aging process. This article focuses on the cognitive "resources" that have been linked to declines in cognition: sensory input, processing speed, working memory, and inhibition. Although much attention is focused on the cognitive losses that occur with aging, there are also "gains" such as wisdom that assist the older adult in learning healthcare information. The nurse's understanding of "resources" and "gains" will assist her in choosing effective teaching strategies to use with older individuals.

Published 3 June 2008 in Orthop Nurs, 27(3): 195-8.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

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