Nursing the aged with brain failure

Nurses are the major caregivers for the aged with brain failure. The patients' needs and resources must be continually reassessed and care adjusted to the changing situation whether the patient is at home, attending a community ambulatory clinic, or in a hospital or a long-term institution. The nursing role includes humanistic concern, physical care, scientific/technological interventions, organization of care and contributing to the limited body of knowledge. The most complex area of care of brain-failure patients is communication, which has an important impact on both psychosocial and physical well-being. Often neglected aspects of care are ambulation and regulating body temperature. Nurses can make maximum use of resources through good organization of the environment. The nurse must continually update her knowledge and use a problem-solving approach in her work. She should record, analyse and share her experiences with others, thus helping to develop more humanistic and scientific modes of care.