The aging nurse.
With the aging of the current nursing work force, nursing leaders must develop strategies to maintain current employment levels and improve availability of nurses to care for patients. One way to maintain current levels is to retain older nurses at the bedside by adapting the current working environment to meet the needs and the limitations associated with aging. This article includes a review of literature on the effects of aging on the human body, cognitively, physically, and psychosocially; current trends in the aging population; the advantages and disadvantages of employing aging nurses; retention strategies to keep aging nurses at the bedside; methods to adapt the work environment to aging nurses' needs; policies that address the needs of aging nurses; and implications for occupational health nursing practice. This article is limited to aging as it relates to nurses employed in hospitals.
Keller
Simone M
SM
Morton Plant Hospital, Clearwater, FL, USA. skeller@health.usf.edu
Burns
Candace M
CM
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D016272:Occupational Health; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling