Teaching Strategies

Assessment of Older Adults in Long-Term Care Settings

Click here for a printer-friendly version of this teaching strategy.

Overview of Teaching Strategy

Through planned, intentional encounters with older adults,
nursing students learn to promote human flourishing and to provide competent, individualized, and humanistic care. This teaching strategy focuses on assessment in long-term care clinical settings, and can be used with students in both beginning and advanced nursing courses. Since it is beneficial for learning to assign students to long-term care settings for several weeks, the teaching strategy provides learning activities for a six-week experience. While this teaching strategy focuses on assessment, concurrent learning activities might include coordinating and managing care and making situational decisions.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Assess older adults' individual aging patterns and functional statuses using standardized assessment tools such as the How to Try This series.
• Use effective communication techniques to recognize, respond to, and respect older adults' strengths, wishes, and expectations.
• Include findings or assessment of older adults' cognitions, moods, physical functions, and comfort to fully assess the individuals' aging patterns.

ACES Essential Nursing Actions

• Assess Function and Expectations
• Use Evolving Knowledge

NLN Education Competencies

• Human Flourishing
• Spirit of Inquiry

To begin, use the links below.

Getting Started
Materials
Suggested Reading
Assessment Tools
Author Information

BACK TO TOP | RETURN TO TEACHING STRATEGIES | RETURN TO ACES HOME

Copyright © 2010 National League for Nursing