The Resourcefully Enhancing Aging in Specialty Nursing(REASN) program, an HIGN initiative funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies (USA) Inc., is a collaborativeeffort with 14 hospital-based specialty nursing associations,representing more than 200,000 nurses, to put the most up-to-date, evidence-based information on care of olderadults directly into the hands of specialty nurses. Throughthese intensive collaborations, HIGN is working withassociations to deepen their involvement in improvingnursing competencies among their members who care forolder adults and to create geriatric educational productsand resources that meet specialty practice specific needs.

REASN ResourcesAll specialty nursing practice resources are accessible at consultgerirn.org/specialty_practice

American Academy of Nursing (AAN)/Expert Panel on Acute and Critical Care/American Association of CriticalCare Nurses (AACN) AAN and AACN collaboratively developed the online course, BestPractices for Elder Care. The self-paced course includes threeintroductory modules that address care for hospitalized older adults,physiological changes that take place during aging and frameworksfor older adult care.

American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) AONE is expanding on the Guiding Principles for the Elder-FriendlyHospital/Facility through the creation of a virtual toolkit designedspecifically for nurse leaders. A geriatric pre-conference will be heldat the April 2011 AONE meeting, and two virtual geriatric meetingswill be offered in 2011.

American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN)ASPMN developed curriculum to prepare hospital nurses to becomeGeriatric Pain Management Resource Nurses. The ASPMN GeriatricPain Management Course is a six-hour program presented by twohighly qualified Master Faculty. ASPMN has produced an issue for theHIGN Try This Specialty Practice Series, Assessment of Nociceptiveversus Neuropathic Pain in Older Adults.

Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University College of Nursing . 726 Broadway, 10th floor, New York, NY 10003212 998 5355 info@HIGN.org hartfordign.org . nicheprogram.org . consultgerirn.org

Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders

Specialty Practice Resources Guide

From the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing(HIGN) Specialty Practice Initiative…

Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University College of Nursing . 726 Broadway, 10th floor, New York, NY 10003212 998 5355 info@HIGN.org hartfordign.org . nicheprogram.org . consultgerirn.org

Specialty Practice Resources Guide

American Society of PeriAnesthesiaNurses (ASPAN)ASPAN is developing a seven module webcourse that includes content related toCommon Problems and Age Specific Careof the Older Adult Perianesthesia Patient,Risk Factors in Older Adults UndergoingSurgery and Invasive Procedures, andPain and Comfort, Polypharmacy andMedication Reconciliation Considerationsin the Perianesthesia Older Adult.

Association of periOperativeRegistered Nurses (AORN)AORN developed a Confidence-BasedLearning (CBL) Module, periOperativeCare of the Older Adult. The courseprovides guidance to the perioperativenurse in promoting optimal outcomes forthe older adult through recognition of thephysiological, cognitive/psychosocial andsociological changes associated withaging.

Emergency Nurses Association(ENA) ENA developed the Practical Guide toSafer Handoff of Older Adults betweenLong-Term Care Facilities and EmergencyDepartments. This guide provides nursesin emergency departments and long-termcare settings, and EMS professionals withtools to ease the development ofstandardized communication processesthat respond to local needs. ENA iscurrently updating its Geriatric EmergencyNursing Education (GENE) program.

Hospice and Palliative NursesAssociation (HPNA) HPNA developed the web course series:Dementia Care: Understanding theDiagnosis, Embracing the Diversity, andUpholding the Dignity at the End of Life.This online series has a multidimensionalapproach that is needed for quality careof the patient with end stage dementia.

Infusion Nurses Society (INS) INS developed a webinar, InfusionTherapy in the Older Adult, which focuseson the changes that occur in bodysystems during the aging process andhow these changes impact the provisionof infusion therapy in the older adult.Strategies to improve peripheral catheterinsertion success are discussed.

National Association of OrthopaedicNurses (NAON) NAON developed “Practice Points” withspecial considerations for older adults.NAON is including a chapter “SpecialConsiderations for the Older Adult” in theseventh edition of the NAON CoreCurriculum.

National Nursing Staff DevelopmentOrganization (NNSDO)NNSDO is developing a “How To” modulefor staff development educators to use toinfuse content about care of older adultsinto practice settings. The module willposition nurse staff developmenteducators to respond to the needs ofindividual nurses and to institutionalneeds for education of groups of nursesin care of older patients.

Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)ONS is developing a Geriatric Oncologyweb course including Geriatric OncologyContent and Train the Trainer pedagogicalresources to deliver the geriatric oncologycontent. The geriatric content of thecourse will focus on the side effects ofcancer treatments.

Preventive Cardiovascular NursingAssociation (PCNA) PCNA developed a new section of theassociation’s Online Medical Forms Guideto provide information on behaviorchange and medication adherence with aspecial focus on older adults. PCNA hasalso developed two Try This SpecialtyPractice series issues on cardiac riskassessment and vascular risk assess-ment for older adult patients.

Society of Trauma Nurses (STN)STN and the Hartford Institute are jointlydeveloping an online Geriatric TraumaModule. Content will include identifyingtrauma clinical care that is similar,regardless of age, versus older adultinjuries that heighten awareness and/orare treated differently and delineatingrecommended care guidelines for theolder trauma patient with head injury onanticoagulants.

Since its start in 1996, the singular mission of the Hartford Institute of Geriatric Nursing has been toshape the quality of nursing care to older adults by assuring geriatric competency of America'snurses. To this end, HIGN has established four action areas to bring an intensive focus to its mission:Practice, Education, Research and Advocacy/Policy. The commitment to this mission and these actionareas exhibited by the dedicated HIGN leadership, staff and affiliate organizations has made HIGNtoday a globally recognized geriatric nursing resource.

About HIGN

Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders