Live and learn: patient education for the elderly orthopaedic client

Patient education is a critical component of nursing interventions for health maintenance and illness prevention in assisting older persons with orthopaedic problems to maintain optimum independence and quality of life. This article focuses on the needs of the adult learner with emphasis on the elderly. Theoretical considerations of learning and characteristics of the adult learner are briefly introduced. Changes attributed to aging and factors that affect learning for elders are discussed. The article closes with strategies for planning effective patient education.