The geriatric nurse practitioner in home care. Challenges, stressors, and rewards

The geriatric nurse practitioner is an appropriate provider of care for homebound elders. Her scope of practice includes managing acute and chronic illnesses and providing preventive care. It incorporates collaboration as an essential part of practice. The focus on issues of aging assists the geriatric nurse practitioner to differentiate presentation and complications of illness from a younger population and to understand the interrelationship of emotional, physiological, functional, and social factors on outcomes. The challenge to provide home care to homebound elders has intensified as a result of recent changes in the health care system. The expertise of the geriatric nurse practitioner is well suited to address these needs and future issues as the percentage of the elderly population increases.