Simulating the Future of Inclusive Geriatric Care

Our Approach

Mission

To transform the way student nurses are being prepared to care for the elderly and cater for their needs

Vision

That the model developed will serve, in the long-term, as a point of reference to prepare other courses focusing on intercultural aspects of patient care

Strategy

GNurseSIM aims to develop a capacity building program for nurses to empower them to prove the better care to elder citizens, considering diversity and interculturalism. This will include a methodological framework for creating social-construtivist, blended courses; the courses with content developed in simulation laboratories, a validation pilot for the courses developed and two guides, one containing recommendations based on good practices and another with recommendations for transferability into other areas of nursing education

Project Context

Globally, the number of people over the age of 60 is expected to more than double by 2050. Diseases associated with ageing, such as dementia, are identified by the World Health Organization as being a major global health challenge that current and future healthcare providers must be prepared to meet. And due to the current culture mix, globalization and the degree of mobility in the world of work, it is likely that the elderly patients will be cared for by a geriatric nurse that does not share the same values, traditions and cultural background as the patient.

The current epidemic situation makes every higher education institution (HEI) acutely aware of the need to create blended/distance learning courses. It is vital that these are created in a way that optimizes learning and ensures the students’ further development of their skills and competences in the future. Simulation is a safe way to train healthcare providers to provide effective care for older people and their families and there is evidence that simulation-training can improve the quality of care provided for older people. However, although geriatric simulation programmes are being undertaken worldwide, hardly any touches on the issue of intercultural differences as a problem that professional geriatric nurses should be well conscious of.

In this context, the objectives of GNurseSIM are to support HEI to provide students in geriatric nursing with opportunities during their training to practise skills of adopting a multidisciplinary holistic approach to the care of older patients. This will be achieved by combining elements from different approaches to arrive at a unified model and develop an intercultural, culture-sensitive geriatric nursing course, as well as recommendations and guidelines regarding the implementation of the course and possibilities it offers to other areas of nursing.

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