title: Hospital discharge of older adults. How nurses can ease the transition.
abstract: When an older adult is discharged from the hospital, she or he should have an individualized, comprehensive discharge plan to help prevent unnecessary complications and rehospitalization. But the large number of older adults who are hospitalized and their typically greater needs can make creating such a plan a challenge for clinicians. Clear communication among hospital personnel, patients, family members, case managers, and community caregivers (such as home health care nurses and long-term care staff) is essential. In examining effective discharge planning for this population, this article examines five discharge models.
authors.affiliation: Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, USA. c.walker@tcu.edu
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Mildred O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Hogstel
authors.forename: Linda Cox
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Curry
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers; D003142:Communication; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000451:nursing / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017146:Models, Organizational; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010351:Patient Discharge; D014481:United States