Older individuals occupy the greatest num-

ber of hospital beds and are the greatest

consumers of health services. However,

there is still a critical lack of ready compre-

hensive information on how to meet the

special nursing needs of this group. This

Handbook is designed to meet the needs of

nurses and other professionals in acute care

and long-term care settings.

Steffl and other gerontological experts help

you understand the feelings and behaviors

of the aged as well as their physical prob-

lems. They clearly explain today s leading

biological, psychological, and sociological

theories of aging that form the basis for all

professional work in-gerontology. They

give you the understanding of the theory

and pract!ce of gerontology you need to as-

sume the nurse s roles of advocate, assessor,

and intervenor.

This practical handbook provides you with

a demographic and philosophical foundation

for assessment and intervention in health

care and sick care of older individuals. It

has comprehensive coverage of psychosocial

and physiological care and has an extensive

section on physical assessment of the elderly

and rehabilitation. Thorough coverage is

provided of sensory deprivation as well as

1he developmental tasks of the aging. Steffl

also gives you special communication tech-

niques that help you "hear" what the

patient did not say.