Website Success Shows Interest In Aged Care - Queensland University Of Technology's School Of Nursing

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Also Included In: Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 27 Nov 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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The success of a nursing website put together by Queensland University of Technology's School of Nursing has shown there are plenty of people interested in the health issues of older people.

The site, http://www.workingwitholderpeople.edu.au, is designed to assist nursing students seeking information about older patients and has also proved to be a popular resource for academics, health professionals and the public.

QUT's head of nursing, Professor Helen Edwards said it has been a great success and feedback had shown that it was not only students and academics using the website.

"It is not just about aged care within a nursing home, it goes across the spectrum to general information about ageing, older people in hospitals and those who need care at home or in a residential care facility," she said.

"A lot of people are using the website to gain information because they are concerned about family members, or academics will look there for up-to-date information."

The website was developed in conjunction with the Department of Health and Ageing and provides information about the demands, responsibilities and rewards of working with older patients in hospitals or aged care facilities.

It was originally aimed at undergraduate students.

"We initially wanted to increase the content focussing on older people in undergraduate nursing programs and we were often told there were not many resources around," said Professor Edwards.

"In a lot of cases, staff also felt they were not skilled enough in aged care to be able to educate students in a comprehensive way.

"By having access to this website and all of the information there, staff are more likely to use information about older patients in their course content."

Professor Edwards said it was hoped that by students having access to this resource, there would be more interest amongst them in working with older patients when they left university to enter the workforce.

"There has been a whole range of activities that the Department of Health and Ageing have been doing to get more interest in this area, with the website being one of them," she said.

"Here, we have certainly noticed that there has been an increase in people showing an interest in work placements working with older people."

Queensland University of Technology