"Enhancing and Expanding the Role of Nursing Assistant to Combat the Nu" by Patricia E. Treffert
 

Date of Award

4-1989

Degree Type

Master's Essay - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Madeline Wake

Second Advisor

Ruth M. Stollenwerk

Abstract

Health care for the elderly in the 21st century offers an unprecedented challenge to the leaders in the nursing home industry. The statistics are staggering. The dramatic swing in the demographics of the U.S. population and the government's cost-containment efforts will have a profound effect on the nation's health care system. Not only will the total number of elderly Americans continue to increase but the number of very old (75 years and older) individuals will increase faster than any other age group. Between 1990 and 2010 this age group is projected to increase from 13.6 million to 18.8 million. By 2030, there will be 30 million people over the age of 75 (Henderson, 1986). It is no surprise that senior citizens are now the heaviest consumers of health care, and that their needs are often different from those of the younger population. Almost 85% of older Americans suffer from at least one chronic illness (Henderson, 1986). Often these diseases are not debilitating or immediately life-threatening but they may require ongoing medical and nursing attention, and may impair a person's ability to live independently.

Comments

An essay Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Nursing, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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