Series Overview:

In the 21st century, people are living longer, healthier lives. Even though aging is a natural process which often entails physical or mental degeneration, older adults, like people of any age, can strive for maximum quality of life. Nurses and others providing care to older adults, often play a key role in maintaining, and, when possible, increasing, active participation in life in order to promote the physical, mental, and emotional health of those they care for.

This series provides nurses and other healthcare workers with a description of how the aging process affects the major body systems, along with practices and strategies that can be used to preserve their functions.

Overview:

This program provides nurses and other healthcare workers with knowledge and tools to understand the changes that occur in the central nervous system, the senses, and the emotions of the aging patient. Understanding these changes can be crucial to helping you assist older adults maintain their quality of life.

Objectives:

After completing this course, the learner should be able to:

• Describe the changes that commonly occur in the central nervous system, and the implications of those changes.
• Describe strategies to preserve mental function.
• Explain how age-related diseases can impair mental function.
• Describe how aging affects the major senses, including vision, hearing, touch and pain.
• List aging effects on emotions, and what can be done to help steady those emotions.