Nursing Education: Review of Assessment, Clinical Care, and Implications for Practice Regarding Older Adult Patients With Cancer

BACKGROUND: As the population of older adults continues to increase, the healthcare system must adapt to respond to their unique and complicated health needs. More than half of all patients diagnosed with cancer in America are aged 65 years or older. The appropriate care for older adult patients with cancer requires a holistic approach with careful coordination of interprofessional providers. OBJECTIVES: This article aims to describe the components of the comprehensive geriatric assessment, summarize the importance of exercise in older adults, discuss the harms of polypharmacy, and evaluate the initiatives to improve geriatric nursing education. METHODS: The literature was reviewed and summarized to provide information on comprehensive geriatric assessment, exercise, polypharmacy, and geriatric nursing education. FINDINGS: Numerous assessment tools can help guide the care of older adult patients with cancer. Because many nurses have little formal geriatric-specific training, there is a growing need for targeted education to ensure best practices.