Glossary Of Terms
Here is a glossary of useful words and terms which relate to Gerontological Nursing and the care of the elderly. If you have any suggestions for terms or words which should appear here the please feel free to contact us.
- Care of the Elderly (CoE) - Suggests care of a homogenous group, when in fact older people as a result of their varied life experience, are the most heterogeneous group in society. We prefer to use the term 'older people' which reflects difference.
- Geriatric - Carries negative and dispararging connotations. To call a person a geriatric is linguistically inappropriate and is unacceptable in the UK.
- Geriatric Medicine - Refers to a specialist area of medicine, practiced by a doctor known as a Geriatrician.
- Geriatric Nursing - Refers to nursing ill older people. This is now perceived to be only one aspect of the nurse's role in working with older people.
- Gerontological Nursing - This encapsulates the whole of nursing work with older people, whether they are well or ill.
- Gerontology - The study of ageing.
- Older People Nursing - This term has been promoted by the the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and The British Gerontological Society (BGS) as well as others.
- Services for Older People - Refers to services, usually within a hospital environment which are dedicated to the health care of older people.