Advancing Well-Being and Health of Elderly with Integrative Nursing Principles

There is a need for holistic care for the survival of the elderly, to increase their independence in their daily life activities, to improve their health and their well-being in order to ensure a healthy aging. Integrative nursing principles are a field of application of holistic philosophy and may be a guide to health professionals in improving the health of individuals, families and communities. These principles were first announced in 2014, and have been described as a health approach that takes the individual, family and society as a whole together with their environment and relationships and adopts the principle of using all the healing methods in health care. Integrative nursing principles can be used as a guide to holistic assessment and improvement of the health of the elderly. Interventions who take care of them with the environment they live in (home visits), support their existing healing process (focusing to patient during nursing care), benefit from the healing effect of the nature (spending time in nature), strengthen the relationship (mobilization of the social environment) and use all evidence-based healing methods (yoga, tai chi) should be included in the care of elderly individuals. Health professionals should learn integrative nursing principles and care for these principles in order to improve the health and well-being of the elderly. Giving care according to integrative nursing principles can increase the quality of life of the elderly and reduce health spending.