Five years ago, Kathryn Gerber, BSN, RN was a junior at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing, volunteering with the Watertown Dementia Awareness Coalition. “Before this experience, I knew what dementia was, but I wasn’t aware of the wider community aspects,” Gerber said in 2015. “For example, if a person with dementia goes into …
Ask any long-term care nurse or administrator. They all want to improve recruitment and retention of nursing staff. They understand that lower staff turnover rates lead to better care at lower costs. It’s not that long-term care organizations don’t want to support their nursing staff in their professional growth. It’s that many organizations struggle to …
Today, older adults account for more than one-third of hospital stays and 15 percent of emergency room visits. These numbers will rise as the 65-plus population grows, intensifying the need for more nurses with experience in geriatric care. How can nursing schools better prepare students to work with older adults? At the University of Wisconsin–Madison …
As the U.S. population ages, the demand grows for long-term care. An estimated two-thirds of those who reach age 65 will eventually need long-term care, for short stays or ongoing assistance. Collectively, the number of people living in nursing homes or other residential care facilities, or using home care services is expected to nearly double, …
It’s not surprising that nurse residencies—ten-week to year-long transition to practice programs offering targeted training and mentoring—are increasingly popular among new nurses and their employers. By better supporting nursing staff, residencies improve the quality of care and increase nurse retention rates. The clear benefits have led the Institute of Medicine to recommend nurse residency programs across …