Elder Person Nursing

The College has many members who are involved with Elder Person's Nursing. We have many nurses whose professional interests relate to health care and related issues pertaining to older people.

This group comprises of nurses with experience and expertise in education, management and clinical settings. The fundamental ethos underpinning this group is to promote the health and well-being of older people. The College endeavours to work in a partnership approach with older people and provides support to nurses across a variety of health care settings.

A number of concerns and issues related to older peoples health are addressed and participation in discussions can be found or created in the College forum. Submission assistance requests are often also noted on the College website and Membership emails.


Focus of this group:

  • Develops and critiques strategies, policies, services and practices related to the health and well-being of older people.
  • Ensures a nursing perspective is present and heard when issues relating to older people are being debated.
  • Provides support to nurses working with older people.
  • Provides a forum for debate and scholarly inquiry.
  • Contributes to the development of the Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Prescriber in all areas of care for older people.

How Nurses can contribute .

  • Offer your talents and skills to assist with submissions etc.
  • Join in or start a new discussion on the Forum for Elder Health..
  • Inform the membership of initiatives we need to critique, celebrate or respond to.
  • How to participate -All College Members may contribute to discussions(or threads) on theCollege Forum.

For more information contact Sylvia -

Sylvia Meijer  Nurse Practitioner Older Adult (Prescribing)
Qualifications: Mphil (nrsg), PGDip Nrsg (OlderAdult), PGDip Nrsg (Chronic / palliative care papers) Dipl .Mngt. BN/RGON. MCNA(NZ)
Professional experience: Currently working as Clinical Services Manager/RN/Staff Educator, Horowhenua Masonic Village. Previous experience: After hoursResource Co-ordinator Horowhenua Hospital, Slow Stream Rehabilitation (MoH Pilot), Staff Educator, Clinical Nurse Specialist Aged Care, Tutor Aged Care Certificate, District Nursing, RN Hospice Care, ICU, A&E and medical/surgical hospital wards . Mphil Research: "Health Professionals Assessment of Older Adults."

To contact Sylvia Email: sylvia.meijer@xtra.co.nz

Further Reading:

Please note: Many of these articles link to our old website, they will be transferred over time to our new site but if you have any problems accessing any articles, please contact the College office.

February 2011
pdf Abstracts_prog_ATAcare Workshop18thJan11.pdf (0.20MB)  Assisted Aged Care Technology Workshop on 18th Jan 2011. The purpose of this workshop was to inform the aged care industry what we could do to improve their services and to learn what the industry wanted and needed. Nurses and managers working in aged care, the officials from the Ministry of Health, and representatives from Grey Power were invited and participated. The programme and abstracts are attached.

April 2010
► Physical restrain use in age-related residential care
Noeline Whitehead reviews physical restraint policies and practises. This article was first published by In Site magazine in October 2009.

April 2010
► The importance of a nursing strategy for residential aged care
By the late 2030's one quarter of New Zealanders will be 65+ (Boston & Davey, 2006). Our future older people will have different expectations as they age. What care will they want and need? Who will care for this burgeoning population of older people especially those who will need residential? How will New Zealand ensure that they receive the quality of care to which they are entitled to expect?

March 2009
► National Diabetes Nursing Knowledge & Skills Framework
All nurses deliver to people with diabetes.  The National Diabetes Nursing Knowledge and Skills Framework (NDNKSF) has been developed to assist all registered nurses to demonstrate that they are adequately prepared to provide the required care and education for the person with diabetes and related comorbidities, whatever their practice setting. 

2008
► The Experience of a Registered Nurse working in Age Care
These are comments and the story from a senior RN (who wishes to remain anonymous) working in residential care.

2008
► Loneliness and Older People (PDF2.1mb)
Massey University’s Dr Stephen Neville and Age Concern’sLouise Rees write for INsite about a programme to combatloneliness in older people, and offer some tips to people living or working with older people.

2008
► International Men’s Health Week (PDF154kb)
STEPHEN NEVILE and CAROL ANDREWS provide advice on running a men’s health expo.

2007
► International Men's Health Week
Media release - Inter national Men's Health Week 2007. Helping Kiwi men have fulfilling and happy lives as they grow older is the aim of this year's Men"s Health Week. Age Concern New Zealand and the College of Nurses (Aotearoa) NZ are leading the celebrations and are urging men to look after their health and well-being. This year the focus is on keeping connected.

2007
► Ageism: A consequence of getting older (PDF File)
Dr Stephen Neville, senior lecturer in Older Adult Nursing at Massey University’s Auckland campus, argues the fight against ageing could be refocused to the fight against ageism.

2006
► International Trends in Age Care - Anthea H Penny
Governments in western countries together with New Zealand are faced with providing health and social care services to an increasing number of older people who are living longer and whose expectations are to access affordable quality health and social services in their old age. Many of these countries are reforming their systems and positioning their policy, resources and services to meet this growing demand. In these countries governments are grappling with the question of how to provide future care to not only the increasing numbers of ageing in their populations but also how to resource and manage the increasing levels of disability and chronic disease.

2006
► Providing Quality Care in Residential Aged Care Setting - Viewpoint - Sylvia Roeters
Aged Care, in communities and in care facilities, is under considerable strain. Consumer groups, the general public, health professionals, health providers and the media are increasingly aware of the untenable situation of the Aged Care sector. The opportunity to discuss the complex issues facing this sector may be a catalyst to wider debate.

2006
► 'Those Photos' - Should we be concerned? - Dr Stephen Neville
A photo essay of older people has provoked controversy and outrage, as well as receiving widespread media coverage. For example, in the June issue of the New Zealand Nursing Review many people attempted to distance themselves from this unfortunate media representation of older people, particularly the National Gerontology Section of NZNO.

2006
► Consumer Alliances - Grey Power - Dr Stephen Neville
The focus on this article is to profile Grey Power as a consumer group, as well as the key issues this organisation identifies as being important to this population. The College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ) identified Age Concern and Grey Power as two potential consumer groups which nursing could forge an alliance with as a means to lobby for, and promote the key concerns identified by older people.

2004
► Consumer Alliances, Older People and Nursing
One of the guiding political documents inherent in our commitment to ensuring improved health outcomes for older communities is the Health of Older People Strategy. The fundamental aim of this strategy is the appropriate provision of health and disability support services that are responsive to the needs of older populations (Ministry of Health, 2002).

Flag Counter
From 1Mar 2013