The evolving educational needs of nurses caring for the older adult: a literature review

Recent changes in long-term care policies in the United Kingdom have resulted in many more older patients/clients, previously nursed in long-term hospital facilities, now being cared for in the community. This change has had a significant impact on nurses, forcing many to make the transition from working in hospital to within the community. This transition calls for appropriate professional educational preparation to enable these nurses to undertake their new roles effectively. The literature search that forms the basis for this paper revealed relatively little material focusing specifically on the educational needs of such nurses in transition. However, literature that addresses the needs of nurses caring for the older individual in the acute setting, and in the community environment, was found and is explored.