The ennursement of old age in NSW: a history of nursing and the care of older people between white settlement and Federation.
The public perception of old age has come to be strongly associated with the nursing profession. This perception persists in Australian culture despite recent attempts by government and some sectors of industry to remove or dilute nursing from nursing homes as well as a trend by nurses themselves to not highly regard caring for older people. The history and heritage of the relationship between older people and nursing is not well known or appreciated in Australia. How and when did: 1) older people emerge as a social group identifiable not only by chronological age but also by their specific needs; and 2) nurses come to care for older people in Australia? The following is a brief history examining this unique phenomenon.
jstevens@scu.edu.au
John
J
Stevens
D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D009739:Nursing Services / Q000266:history*