The Hispanic elderly: implications for nursing care

The elderly Hispanic population is growing and with them will also grow their demand for nursing care. The purpose of this article was to establish some general guidelines that might help the nurse have a better understanding of who the Hispanic elder client is. As alluded to earlier, if there is one word to describe the Hispanic elder client it would be "diverse." As such, the reader is reminded that the discussion of the factors and interventions in care outlined here will not apply to all Hispanic clients all of the time. The Hispanic elder client will act differently depending on their Hispanic subgroup heritage and on their special personal history. In fact, most of the literature is based on research with Mexican-Americans who comprise the largest group of Hispanics in the United States. As such, there may be some bias in an attempt to generalize the findings discussed here across all Hispanics. The nurse is encouraged to acknowledge the specific sociocultural background of each individual and to plan and execute sensitive, tactful interventions that help to maximize the individual's health while valuing their uniqueness. Finally, being in touch with one's own values and beliefs will help to ensure that holistic nursing be implemented as a tool that is both comprehensive and sensitive to the various factors surrounding the Hispanic elder.