Preparing staff to deliver age-appropriate nursing care to elderly patients

Meeting the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations accreditation standard for age-appropriate care cannot be accomplished by a once-a-year inservice educational program. Educational offerings that address the specialty of gerontological nursing require deliberate decision-making regarding the generic and advanced competencies necessary for care of elderly patients. Finding the resources to effectively teach the essential (generic and advanced) content is challenging. This article suggests that a staff development department may use existing resources and personnel from other organizations to prepare nursing staff to deliver age-appropriate care to elderly patients.