A description of community health nursing practice with the community-based elderly

Current Medicare policy does not reimburse for the maintenance and prevention services provided by community health nurses (CHNs) in the management of those community-based elderly who are at risk of institutionalization due to chronic disease and/or functional dependence. Before CHNs can legitimately expand their practice into the area of management of chronic disease in the elderly, they must develop a better understanding of the relationship between the needs of this population and community health nursing practice. This study is one effort to build the desired data base to demonstrate the value of CHN involvement with the community-based elderly.