Nursing Degrees and Occupations for Those Passionate About Elderly Care

Health care has been rapidly and desperately expanding its service capabilities in the last few years in anticipation of the Baby Boomer generation's gradual rise into the demographic of geriatrics. For those persons who are naturally kindhearted, patient, and love helping older adults, there are few other industries which are better to do as a career.

The following contains a brief summary about geriatrics care and some degrees and occupations which would be a good fit for those people who are passionate about elderly care.

Geriatrics

There are a wide variety of roles and positions that are needed to adequately encompass the type of care which the elderly need to live comfortable, fulfilling lives. The rate and ways in which the elderly age, the symptoms associated with not only age, but declining health and mobility mean that there are special ways in which this age group needs to be attended to.

There are jobs that run the range of educational levels, from certifications, associates degrees, bachelors, master and doctorate programs. Each of those educational levels produces a diverse selection of roles from family nurse practitioners, technicians, housing specialists, doctors, attendants, physical therapists, and activities managers. Additionally, the type of work spans not only for-profit industries, but non-profits as well. This multitudinous field and the work entails means that there are plenty of roles to choose from.

On top of that, there is typically a high demand for these positions, but in the recent decade, with more and more people aging into that elderly category, it means that there will be an even greater demand for workers in this field. The American population of people over the age of 65 is projected to become over 82 million by the year 2030 and the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a 7% increase in jobs needed by 2029 for RN’s alone.

Nursing Occupations

Geriatric Nurse

A geriatrics nurse focuses on care for the elderly, physically and mentally. These nurses can work in-home, in private assisted living facilities, nursing homes, or hospitals. Geriatric nurses require graduation with an associate degree in nursing ADN and/or an active RN licensure as a minimum, so picking the right online nursing program is important. People with BSN or master’s degrees and additional gerontological nursing certifications are likely to see more job opportunities and higher salary rates.

Geriatric Nurse Practitioners

A geriatric nurse practitioners are nurses with advanced degrees that have oversight of general nursing practices, the management of other lower-level nurses, and the systemization of care procedures and teams. While they do also see to the regular nursing care roles like charting, exams, and patient interaction, they can also prescribe medications, help with diagnosis, and recommend care programs. They tend to work more directly with physicians and health care directors to see that geriatric patients are receiving the care they need.

Fitness Instructors

One of the best ways to care for the elderly is to encourage their day-to-day levels of consistent physical activity. Doing so helps to maintain strength, balance, motor skills, promotes physical and emotional health, circulation, and oxygenation of the blood. Physical activity contributes to better sleep which is very important for recovery and mood.

Fitness instructors are trained to facilitate and assist groups or individuals in personalized activities that help patients to meet their goals. The combination of physical exercise, with fun, social events means that the whole person is being cared for. While not the highest paying job, with a median salary of around $40,000 per year, the reward of seeing people become stronger and happier, all whilst being able to make a difference in a population group which is easily overlooked is certainly rewarding.

Geriatric Speech Therapists

Speech therapists are tasked and trained to diagnose and treat symptoms and behaviors associated with speech challenges. Their ability to correctly diagnose, assist, and restrain patients who have trouble with communication as a result of injuries, illness, or age-related problems is assisted by their knowledge of neurological sciences and its connection to physiological ability.

Speech therapists create tailored programs with the goal of recuperating patients after stroke, surgeries, or injury. While the work is rewarding, those people considering this career path should be informed about the amount of schooling needed to do this type of work.

A bachelor's degree must be earned before going on to earn a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. Additionally, there is the requirement to complete 1,260 hours of clinical work prior to taking the Praxis exam before finally being certified to work as a speech pathologist.