INTRODUCTION
The current increase in the aging population is having a direct impact on the nursing profession. The Administration on Aging reported that Americans over the age of 65 years make up 13.7% of the population (one in every seven Americans) with anticipated growth that is unprecedented in the history of the United States and the world (National Gerontological Nursing Association (NGNA), n.d.). Recent demographic shifts will have major implication for the United States healthcare system, both in the terms of delivery of patient care and the practice of nursing (Hussung, 2016).
Improved public health and clinical care have led to an increase in the average life span, meaning that by the year 2020 more than 20 percent of the population
The current increase in the aging population is having a direct impact on the nursing profession. The Administration on Aging reported that Americans over the age of 65 years make up 13.7% of the population (one in every seven Americans) with anticipated growth that is unprecedented in the history of the United States and the world (National Gerontological Nursing Association (NGNA), n.d.). Recent demographic shifts will have major implication for the United States healthcare system, both in the terms of delivery of patient care and the practice of nursing (Hussung, 2016).
Improved public health and clinical care have led to an increase in the average life span, meaning that by the year 2020 more than 20 percent of the population