Nursing theory views on how to support the process of ageing

An important purpose of theories is to challenge practice, create new approaches to practice and remodel the structures of rules and principles. Therefore, it is of interest to study whether it is possible to make use of nursing theories in care of older people, when the aim is to support them in the process of ageing.

To review 17 well-known nursing theories/models in order to delineate the views on ageing presented and discover whether there are descriptions of how nursing care of older people could be organized.

Seventeen nursing theories/models originating over a 30-year period from the early 1960s to the early 1990s were chosen. A search of CINAHL was done and lists of reference from books were used to find original sources. For the review, a list of research questions were formulated and addressed to each theory.

Results showed that most nursing theorists see human ageing from a developmental perspective, but do not discuss what ageing implies. In only a few theories are some important aspects of nursing care of older people discussed, but no concrete instructions are given on how to apply these to nursing care.

There is a need to develop a nursing care model that - more than other contemporary theories - takes into consideration human ageing.