Nursing Issues in Older Adult Surgery Patients

Models of care addressing the unique needs of older hospitalized patients can be traced to the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) programs first developed in the 1970s [1]. CGA programs screen older patients at high risk for geriatric-specific problems, assess for modifiable risk factors, and implement evidence-based strategies consistent with the patient’s treatment goals. Over the last 30 years changes in the health-care system, coupled with the increasing older adult population, has led to development of several geriatric models of care across all health-care settings. In general, the goals of these geriatric models of care in the hospital focus on (1) prevention of complications that occur more commonly in older adults and (2) address hospital factors that contribute to complications. This chapter provides a brief overview of complications that are more frequently found in older patients, care delivery issues that are addressed by geriatric models of care and a description of the most commonly employed hospital models.