Adult and geriatric nurses specialize in providing care to adults and older people. The primary goal of these professionals is to offer patients comprehensive and individualized care. Adult and geriatric nurses diagnose and treat various medical issues in adults, assist in personal hygiene tasks, and prepare and give medications. The providers also monitor patients’ conditions and report abnormal changes to appropriate specialists and participate in discharge processes. An adult and geriatric nurse practitioner Boynton Beach require specific professional and personal characteristics because each patient has unique needs based on age and medical condition. The top features that an adult and geriatric nurse needs include:
Patience
All nurses need to have a lot of patience when dealing with patients. But dealing with geriatric patients can be challenging if a nurse becomes irritated quickly. A nurse working with adults and geriatric patients should be able to listen to individuals who speak slowly or exhibit high levels of confusion. Patience is also essential when dealing with your patient’s family members. Ensure the members understand that the patient needs full-time care.
Compassion
Most geriatric patients are near the end of life because medical conditions tend to pile up in old age. Some individuals may be unable to do personal activities like bathing and dressing. A geriatric nurse needs to have compassion when dealing with such patients. The provider should help the patients bathe, dress or eat compassionately. Attending to the adults and older adults passionately give the individuals a sense of acceptance and promote a smoother recovery phase.
Strong attention to details
Preventive care is one of the main hallmarks of geriatric nursing. Older adults are at higher risk of developing medical conditions than younger people. Therefore, a geriatric nurse should be attentive to each patient’s medical history and complaints to help them avoid or deal with potential health issues. Geriatric nurses should be able to quickly and thoroughly assess a person’s medical chart and create a preventive program based on the individual’s needs.
Creative
It can be challenging to deal with patients with certain conditions like dementia, but creativity can help geriatric nurses cope with such situations. Since most diseases have many treatments, geriatric nurses need to understand what works best for each patient for easier management. For example, if a patient responds well to art therapy, a nurse can color or paint with the patient to promote quicker healing. Adult and geriatric nurses must be creative to enhance successful treatment depending on each patient’s physical and emotional needs.
Consistent
Most older adults get confused easily, so geriatric nurses should avoid contradictory messages. Consistency helps patients feel comfortable and secure, making it easier for individuals to fight against medical conditions. If a patient’s health deteriorates, being consistently positive helps keep the individual’s spirit up. A consistently positive nurse also helps build trust among patients encouraging the individuals to follow the rules like taking medications appropriately.
Adult and geriatric nurses specialize in providing care to adults and older people. To offer health services effectively, an adult and the geriatric nurse need to have personal characteristics, including patience, compassion, attention, creativity, and consistency. Schedule an appointment at Nguyen Medical Group for adult and geriatric services to improve the overall quality of life.
