Council on Gerontological Nursing

Want to improve care for older adults in your care settings?

Join the Gerontological Nursing Council!

Gerontological nurses are located all over the state and we work in a variety of clinical settings including long term care facilities, clinics, home health care, education, and administration. Members of the Gerontological Nursing Council are nurses leading change to prevent falls and improve quality of care and life for older adults and their families.

The mission of our Council is to provide communication and resources for nurses across NC to build knowledge related to best practice in the care of older adults.

Our vision is to improve quality of care delivered to older North Carolinians.

The Gerontological Council Goals:
1. Increase and engage members focused in care of older adults
2. Improve care delivery of older adults in NC—nurses leading change
3. Strengthen collaboration with other gerontological and advocacy organizations

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SAVE THE DATE! for the next Gero Council Event
September 12, 2014, Noon-3:00pm
Location: Arbor Acres United Methodist Retirement Community, Winston Salem, NC
Lunch will be provided.
The event will begin with a business meeting/lunch followed by a presentation and a tour of the facility.
More details coming soon.
Questions? Email NCNA@ncnurses.org

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We want to see you at our meetings! Send us an email. Email NCNA if you would like to be added to our listserv.

We also look forward to seeing you at the NCNA Annual Convention! Stay up to date with this link to the NCNA Special Events page.

Gero Council Online Discussion Group
NCNA is excited to announce that we are now able to offer online discussion groups (also known as listservs) as a benefit for our members. These NCNA discussion groups are an opportunity to increase communication and provide relevant information to members of the association. Please read our user policy. The listserv and discussion group software is designed to connect you with your NCNA affiliated Gerontological Nursing Council group and will provide an opportunity to receive timely information from your leadership. We hope that you will be able to enjoy this member benefit and get a lot of useful information off of it.

Council on Gerontological Nursing Discussion Group
*You must be a NCNA member to start a discussion.

NCNA Discussion Group User Policy

 

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Meet the Gero Council Executive Committee

CHAIR:
Tamara Mangum, MSN, RN, is a Clinical Nurse at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Tamara has been an active member of NCNA since 2009 and has served as a Hallmark Reviewer for Healthy Workplaces for facilities and hospitals seeking recognition. She is an active member of Gerontological Council and an active member of AADE.

Julie Barr, MSN, ANP-BC is a master’s prepared adult nurse practitioner who owns her own practice, Back to Basics Home Medical Visits, in Gibsonville, NC. Back to Basics is an independent home visits practice providing medical care to older adults and those with mobility issues in the triad region of NC. Her specialty is in geriatrics and chronic disease management. She is currently completing the DNP program at University of Alabama with graduation date of August 2014. Her research focuses on decreasing and preventing polypharmacy among older adults.

Meg Smith, RN, BSN, CCM is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Nursing. She started Golden Eldercare Management, PC in 2002, providing care coordination for older adults in their place of residence, whether in the home or facility. This is Ms. Smith’s second term as Member at Large for the NCNA Gerontological Nursing Council.

Tomika Williams, PhD(c), RN-BC, NP-C is a certified adult and gerontological nurse practitioner practicing within a long-term care in Asheboro, NC.  Tomika has clinical experience in cardiology and rehabilitation medicine. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the doctoral program at UNC-Greensboro. Tomika's research areas of interest include older adults, specifically those residing in long-term care settings, physical activity, and health promotion. Additionally, Tomika enjoys mentoring new nurses and nurse practitioners in our profession. She takes pride in being a "Gero Nurse."

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FALLS

Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries and the second leading cause of nonfatal injuries for people over 65. The North Carolina Falls Prevention Coalition brings together researchers, planners, health care providers, housing specialists, aging services providers, and many others to work together to reduce the number of falls and fall-related injuries for North Carolinians. Learn more about work to prevent falls by increasing awareness, providing education and training, providing tools and resources, and fostering linkages between programs and organizations working to reduce falls. For additional information about the North Carolina Falls Prevention Coalition, go to this link:
https://sites.google.com/site/ncfallsprevention/.

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Gerontology Nursing Information and Online Resources

EDUCATION
Gerontological nurses use knowledge, skill, resources, and creativity to facilitate quality of care and life for older adults. Lifelong learning by nurses is a must in order to grow personally and professionally to meet the ever-changing needs of the people they serve.

PRACTICE AND SERVICE
Gerontological nurses have a special combination of clinical expertise and a holistic approach to taking care of older people as people and not simply patients. These nurses look at where the person came from and where they are going relative to their dynamic health status. From monitoring the cardiac functions of an older person running in a marathon to easing pain and providing comfort during the dying process at the end of life, gerontological nurses embrace both caring and curing.

ADVOCACY
As individuals and as part of the professional organization, gerontological nurses advocate on behalf of older persons. Gerontological nurses confront ethical issues every day in caring for these people. As direct providers of care, these nurses are in a pivotal position to translate the needs of older persons from diverse care settings to the General Assembly and state agencies, where policies that impact on the elderly are written and legislated.

RESEARCH/QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Through continuing education, peer networking, and professional standards, state-of- the-art information is communicated to nurses throughout the state. Position papers supporting gerontological nursing in the curriculum in schools of nursing have advanced the level of sensitivity and skill provided by nurses. Gerontological nurses also contribute to the literature through their own research and publications.

Online Resources

http://consultgerirn.org/ Evidenced based geriatric clinical nursing website

http://www.pogoe.org/ Portal of geriatric online education

http://nicheprogram.org/ Nurses Improving Care of Healthsystem Elders

http://www.jhartfound.org/ John A. Hartford Foundation, Dedicated to Improving Care of Older Americans

http://www.cdc.gov/aging/ Centers for Disease Control, Health Aging Initiatives

For faculty: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/faculty/faculty-link/about 

Webinars: American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) FREE Webinars