How to nurse the ageing, small animal inpatient part 1 – general nursing considerations

Abstract

Geriatrics is the branch of medicine and surgery that treats problems peculiar to old age. Ageing is defined as the accumulation of progressive body changes associated with or responsible for disease, decreased physiologic function, and ultimately death. Lifespan and life expectancy differ among species and among individual members of a species, therefore there is no one specific age that can define the term ‘geriatric’ The term is therefore generally used to define those animals that have reached 75–80% of their expected lifespan. Ageing patients do not adapt well to a change in environment or alterations to their daily routine. This first of this two-part article will focus on general nursing considerations for the ageing inpatient.