Geriatric Nursing GNA: Elevating Elderly Care with Expertise and Innovation

Published: 17 Sep 2025

GNA Nursing known as Geriatric Nursing Assistant is a specialized field focused on meeting the complex healthcare needs of the aging population. With global life expectancy increasing, geriatric nurses are essential for delivering patient-centered care that improves quality of life for older adults.

Table of Content

The Vital Role of Geriatric Nurses in Elderly Healthcare 2025 Interventions
1. Core Duties in GNA
Meeting the Needs of a Growing Aging Population Via GNA
1. Key Challenges in Geriatric Healthcare
Nurse-Led Interventions for Enhanced Geriatric Care
1. Effective QI Strategies
Fall Prevention: A Priority in Geriatric Nursing
Proven Fall Prevention Tactics
Nursing Informatics in Geriatric Healthcare
1. Benefits of Informatics for Elderly Care
Advancing Elder Health Equity in Geriatric Nursing
1. Strategies for Equitable Care
Opportunities for Growth
Conclusion: The Future of Geriatric Nursing

These professionals combine clinical expertise, empathy, and evidence-based practice (EBP) to manage chronic conditions, promote elder health equity, and enhance outcomes in hospitals, nursing homes, and home care settings (Capezuti et al., 2020). This article explores how geriatric nurses lead geriatric healthcare through nurse-led interventions, fall prevention, and nursing informatics.

The Vital Role of Geriatric Nurses in Elderly Healthcare 2025 Interventions

Geriatric nurses address the physical, cognitive, and social needs of older adults, who often face conditions like dementia, diabetes, and heart disease.

GNA expertise extends to advocacy, education, and coordinating elderly care services (Boltz et al., 2021). A 2023 study highlights that geriatric nurses reduce hospitalizations and improve quality of life through targeted interventions (Rantz et al., 2023).

Core Duties in GNA

Holistic Assessments: Evaluating physical, mental, and emotional health for personalized care plans.

Chronic Disease Management: Managing conditions like arthritis with evidence-based practice.

Interdisciplinary Coordination: Ensuring seamless geriatric healthcare delivery with healthcare teams.

Advocacy for Equity: Promoting access to care for diverse older adults.These efforts empower older adults to maintain independence and dignity.

Meeting the Needs of a Growing Aging Population Via GNA

By 2050, the global aging population aged 65+ is expected to reach 2.1 billion, amplifying the need for skilled geriatric nurses (World Health Organization, 2022). These professionals tackle challenges like polypharmacy, mobility issues, and cognitive decline in settings like long-term care facilities (Boltz et al., 2021).

Key Challenges in Geriatric Healthcare

Complex Comorbidities: Multiple chronic conditions require coordinated care.
Nurse Shortages: A 2024 study notes a lack of geriatric-trained nurses (Rantz et al., 2024).
Health Disparities: Socioeconomic barriers limit access to quality elderly care.Geriatric nurses address these issues through evidence-based practice and advocacy.

Nurse-Led Interventions for Enhanced Geriatric Care

GnA led interventions drive quality improvement (QI) in geriatric healthcare, reducing adverse events and enhancing patient safety. Programs like Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) demonstrate how geriatric nurses improve outcomes in long-term care (Capezuti et al., 2020).

Effective QI Strategies

Fall Prevention: Risk assessments and mobility aids reduce falls by up to 30% (Rantz et al., 2024).
Medication Safety: Reviewing polypharmacy to prevent adverse drug events.
Palliative Support: Delivering compassionate end-of-life care focused on comfort.

These evidence-based practice interventions lower costs and improve patient outcomes.

Fall Prevention: A Priority in Geriatric Nursing

Fall prevention is critical in geriatric nursing, as falls cause 3 million emergency visits annually among U.S. older adults (CDC, 2023). Geriatric nurses assess risks and implement strategies to reduce fall-related injuries.

Proven Fall Prevention Tactics

Risk Screening: Using tools like the Morse Fall Scale to identify vulnerabilities.

Safety Modifications: Recommending grab bars and non-slip flooring.

Patient Education: Teaching balance exercises for safe mobility (Boltz et al., 2021).

These efforts enhance safety and quality of life for older adults.

Nursing Informatics in Geriatric Healthcare

Nursing informatics revolutionizes geriatric healthcare by enabling data-driven care. Geriatric nurses use Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to monitor chronic conditions, ensure accurate documentation, and improve coordination (Kruse et al., 2022).

Benefits of Informatics for Elderly Care

Accurate Records: EHRs reduce errors and ensure regulatory compliance.
Team Collaboration: Real-time data sharing enhances interdisciplinary care.
Tailored Interventions: Data insights support personalized patient-centered care.Nursing informatics empowers geriatric nurses to deliver efficient, high-quality care.

Advancing Elder Health Equity in Geriatric Nursing

Elder health equity is a core focus of geriatric nursing, addressing disparities faced by marginalized older adults. Geriatric nurses advocate for equitable care by tailoring interventions to cultural and socioeconomic needs (Adib-Hajbaghery & Tahmouresi, 2020).

Strategies for Equitable Care

Cultural Sensitivity: Respecting patients’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Community Engagement: Providing resources for underserved elders.

Policy Advocacy: Supporting expanded access to elderly care services.

These efforts ensure inclusive, compassionate care for all older adults.

Opportunities for Growth

Specialized Training: Expanding geriatric nursing education programs.

Policy Reform: Advocating for funding to support geriatric healthcare.

Research Leadership: Advancing evidence-based practice through studies.

Addressing these challenges will strengthen geriatric nursing for the future.

Conclusion: The Future of Geriatric Nursing

Geriatric Nursing (GNA) is vital for delivering patient-centered care to an aging population, addressing complex needs through nurse-led interventions, fall prevention, and nursing informatics. By promoting elder health equity and leveraging evidence-based practice, geriatric nurses enhance outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, as seen in programs like NICHE (Rantz et al., 2024). As the demand for geriatric healthcare grows, investing in training, technology, and equity will ensure geriatric nurses continue to transform elderly care.