Become a Nurse >> Browse Articles >> Specialties >> Geriatrics

Nurses Caring for Older Adults in Long-Term Care (LTC): The Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations

Featured Author:

Mathy Mezey, EdD, RN, FAAN

Dr. Mezey's distinguished career has focused on raising the standards of nurses caring for older adults and ensuring that people age in comfort and dignity. Since 1996, Dr. Mezey has served as the Director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University’s College of Nursing. In this position, she oversees a national initiative to improve geriatric nursing education, practice, research and policy. About The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University College of Nursingwww.HartfordIGN.org and the Institute’s clinical nursing website with evidence-based protocols, nursing assessment tools, web based case studies and much more at www.ConsultGeriRN.org.

Nurses often ask how they can find out what is happening in LTC and how can they get current and reputable information about nursing practice in LTC settings. We suggest that you use a “one-stop” shopping approach and look to the Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations (CGNO) for the information you may need. The CGNO encompasses 8 organizations representing over 28,700 geriatric nurses seeking to improve the health care of older adults across care settings. The Coalition is supported by the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University, College of Nursing (www.HartfordIGN.org).

The CGNO, organized in October 2001, has chosen two major issues for action that would affect older persons: 1) positively affecting the quality of long term care through improving and implementing quality programs or practices; and 2) facilitating the measurement of quality in long term. While not limited to these areas, participating organizations concentrate their efforts on these issues. The CGNO continues to lead member organizations in shaping policy and legislation and improving regulations to benefit older adults.

Take a look at the CGGNO member web sites to get a sense of the wealth of information that is practically at your finger-tips. CGNO Member organizations are as follows:

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSING (AAN) – EXPERT PANEL ON AGING
http://www.aannet.org

AMERICAN ASSISTED LIVING NURSES ASSOCIATION (AALNA)
http://www.alnursing.org

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LONG TERM CARE NURSING (AALTCN)
www.LTCNursing.org

AANAC
www.aanac.org

GERONTOLOGICAL ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES ASSOCIATION (GAPNA)
www.gapna.org

THE HARTFORD INSTITUTE FOR GERIATRIC NURSING
www.HartfordIGN.org

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DIRECTORS OF NURSING ADMINISTRATION IN LONG TERM CARE (NADONA/LTC)
www.NADONA.org

NATIONAL GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING ASSOCIATION (NGNA)
www.NGNA.org