Cultivating Geriatric Nursing Practice Environments
NICHE nurses have identified key organizational supports or dimensions of the nursing practice environment associated with improved care for older adults. These dimensions include institutional values related to the care of older adult patients, access to geriatric-specific resources, and methods of interdisciplinary collaboration.46
Institutional values that support the well-being and autonomy of older adults are associated with aging-sensitive care delivery.18 Institutional commitment to these values is reflected in the mission and vision statement of NICHE hospitals. NICHE hospitals recognize that quality care of older adults is aligned with their central mission of meeting the health care needs of the communities they serve. Furthermore, these hospitals recognize the specialized needs of older adult patients and the moral and financial imperative of addressing these needs in all areas that serve them.