Tips for nurses working with elderly patients
By Jonathan Bilyk R
egina Mason, MSN, RN, GNP-BC, didn’t always know she wanted to be
a nurse. But from the moment she started nursing school, Mason knew she wanted to work with older patients. “The impetus for my career in nursing was assisting my family in caring for my godmother, who had Alzheimer’s disease,” Mason said. “She was 91 years old when she died in her home while receiving hospice care. The experience changed my life in that I was no longer afraid of the dying process, but realized I could help others have a peaceful death with their loved ones by their side.” The experience, she said, carried her through nursing school and through her 30-year nursing career, and to gain the clinical expertise needed to become a gerontological nurse practitioner. Mason knew it “was a perfect fi t” when she had the opportunity to join the nursing team at Mercy LIFE – West Philadelphia. The LIFE acronym stands for Living Independently For Elders. Administered by Mercy Health, in affi liation with the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, LIFE provides comprehensive medical, health, recreational and social services designed specifi cally for each person to promote independence at home, according to the LIFE Program’s website. How can other nurses know a similar career is right for them? Mason offered some tips.
Regina Mason, RN TIPS 34 Visit us at
NURSE.com • 2016
DIG DEEP To fi nd the right destination on their career journeys, nurses need to develop an innate understanding of what prompted them to get into nursing in the fi rst place and what keeps them coming back. “I believe that in order to fi nd the right career path, one must search deep within to fi nd what motivates them and most impor- tantly what one is passionate about,” Mason said. “For me, I was motivated by my childhood experience. In my youth I was always surrounded by older adults and valued the wealth of knowledge and wisdom they had to share.
GET A JUMP ON THE INEVITABLE The primary challenges facing those who care for older adults will typically arise from end-of-life issues. “Being proactive and having discussions regarding end-of-life care
is diffi cult for older adults, their families and healthcare providers alike,” Mason said. “I’ve dealt with the challenge of end-of-life issues with older adults with Alzheimer’s or dementia by having discussions prior to a crisis,” she said. “When individuals are in the midst of a crisis, it is very diffi cult to make decisions.”
REMEMBER: YOU MAY NOT KNOW Caring for older adults can be trying even for the most experienced nurses at times, Mason said. To succeed in elder care, nurses need to realize they don’t have all the answers. “Nurses cannot carry the load alone,” Mason said. To provide
older adults with the care they need and deserve, every role and discipline is required to move together. She noted how important it is that all of the specialties involved in elder care work in unison to achieve a common goal.
REAP THE REWARDS
While caring for older adults can be challenging, Mason said the experience also carries great rewards for those willing to dive in. At the LIFE program, for instance, she said she often will interact with those new to the program, and gets to watch them bloom after their fi rst pensive days. •
to work with the elderly
Jonathan Bilyk is a freelance writer. FOR MORE, VISIT
Nurse.com/Article/NP-Mason-Tips.
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