Chapter 5: Teaching Older Adults and Their Families

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Chapter 5 Teaching Older Adults and Their
Families
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Learning Objectives

• Apply key principles of adult learning to
  teaching older adults.
• Discuss how changing demographics of the United
  States influences various aspects of the
  teachinglearning process.
• Describe settings where health education for
  older adults can take place.
• Describe the influence of cultural diversity on
  learning styles of older adults.

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Learning Objectives (contd)

• Discuss how health literacy influences teaching
  strategies used when educating older adults.
• Compare the effect of normal physiologic changes
  and chronic illness on the learning process.
• Apply strategies for enhancing teaching and
  learning of older adults.

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Health Promotion and Illness/Injury Prevention

• Healthy People 2020 Federal initiative that
  identifies health objectives relevant to older
  people (Table 5-1, p. 124-125)
• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
  of 2010 provides specific benefits to Medicare
  recipients including educational interventions
• Factors influence learning motivation and
  ability educational levels, gender roles, work
  experience, cultural/spiritual values, physical
  health
• Gerontological Nursing identifies Scope and
  Standards to include health education of
  patients, their families in their practice.
• .

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Principles of Adult Learning

• GI Bill of Rights sent millions of veterans to
  college, changing peoples thinking about adult
  learning and introducing the concept of lifelong
  learning.
• As baby boomers retire, many will return to the
  workforce full- or part-time, which may increase
  the need for new formal and informal educational
  options for adults

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Theory of Adult Learning

• Malcolm Knowles theory of adult learning.
• Theory used in the development, planning and
  implementation of adult educational programs
• Identifies motivation and relevance as key
  concepts in adults learning
• Androgogy the unique characteristics of teaching
  and learning of adults

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Theory of Adult Learning

• Adults
• expect respect for their abilities and experience
• are autonomous, self-directed, independent
  learners
• are goal oriented
• need to know that what they are learning is
  relevant and practical to their daily lives
• expect to actively participate in learning and
  build on previous life experiences
• derive much of their self-identity from past
  experiences

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Theory of Self Efficacy

• People's beliefs about their capabilities to
  produce designated levels of performance that
  exercise influence over events that affect their
  lives
• Older adults can learn to compensate for declines
  in physical health by maximizing their
  intellectual capabilities of increased knowledge,
  skill, and experience.

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Theory of Self Efficacy

• Gerogogy
• Definition the process involved in stimulating
  and helping older persons to learn
• teaching strategies leading to higher levels of
  empowerment and emancipation
• Older adults can benefit from adjustments to
  teaching methods that consider impairments in the
  sensory, psychomotor, cognitive, and affective
  learning domains

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Learning Preferences of Older Adults (Box 5-1,
5-2, P. 130)

• Easy access, small investments of time and money
  to get started, and learning begins immediately.
• Direct, hands-on experiences (Box 5-2)
• Methods that enable them to keep up with whats
  going on in the world, for their own spiritual or
  personal growth, and/or for the simple joy of
  learning something new
• Subjects that improve quality of life, build on
  current skill, or enable them to take better care
  of their health.
• Use what they have learned right away or in the
  near future.

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Barriers to Older Adults Learning

• Health disparities (Box 5-3, p. 132)
• Factors related to cultural diversity
• Readability of materials for older adults
• People who have low health literacy may have
  greater difficulty in locating providers and
  service, filling out complex health forms,
  sharing their medical history, seeking preventive
  health care, managing chronic health conditions,
  and understanding directions on medicine.

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Technology for Older Adults Lifelong Learning

• 70 of those age 5064 and 38 of adults 65 use
  the Internet
• Half of Internet users between ages 50-64 and 26
  of users 65 used social networking sites
• Seniors learn to use computer technology at
  public libraries, learning centers, and
  businesses that sell electronic devices.
• Table 5-3, p.137

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Strategies for Teaching Older Adults (Box 5-8,
P.143)

• Use the principles of adult learning theory
• Use multiple teaching modalities to keep the
  material interesting and maintain attention
• Accommodate any unusual physical needs
• Make presentations elder-friendly
• Choose interesting content
• Use principles of literacy and avoid jargon

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Strategies for Teaching Older Adults

• Avoid glare control environmental temperature
  and noise level
• Use micro phone and speak slowly
• Face the audience as many elders lip read
• Limit content to 30-40 minutes
• Handouts should be in large font.

• Make sure the room is large enough and prepare
  adaptive equip.
• Use low pitch voice
• Use non-verbal gesture
• Give enough time during break
• Provide liquid refreshment during break

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Summary

• Nurses need to be
• prepared to meet the unique educational needs of
  the growing population of older adults who
  increasingly reflect diversity
• flexible and adaptable, provide accurate and
  reliable Internet resources, include families in
  the instructional setting, consider the physical,
  cognitive, and sensory changes that occur with
  normal aging, as well as chronic disease states,
  and adapt educational programs and materials to
  the unique needs of older adults.