The Fundamental of Nursing Department provides academic services for nurses and elders/ families in community. The department has established a “ Wellness Center for the Elderly”. The goals of the center are to promote self-care agency and to decrease dependent status of elders leading to improved quality of life in both physical and psychosocial aspects. Responding to an upcoming aging society of Thailand, the department plans to establish a “Center of Excellence for the Elderly”. The goal of the centre is to improve the quality of life of elders and their families. The activities of the center include advancing knowledge on caring for the aging population through research, facilitating educational programs for nursing students, nurses, and people in community, providing health services for elders and families, and supporting cultural values.

Center of Excellence in Gerontological Nursing

About us

Thailand is experiencing a rapidly expanding aging population and becomes an aging society. Both absolute number and the percentage of the total population are increasing dramatically. The Department of Fundamental of Nursing has been responsible for education, academic services, and research in gerontological nursing since 1982. In 1988, the department launched a healthy aging center aiming to serve as a resource for education and research in gerontological nursing as well as an elderly care. The ultimate goal of this center is to promote a self-care competency of elders. The activities at the center include health education, counseling, physical assessment, health screening, training etc. The faculties in the department are responsible for all activities and collaborate with health centers in Bangkok, community health centers, and senior citizen clubs.

Objective

1. Provide elderly nursing practice setting and knowledge sharing center for faculty and nursing student.
2. Provide knowledge and develop gerontological nursing network among community nurses, health care professionals, community leaders/volunteers, and family care givers.
3. Provide holistic nursing care for elders and family caregivers.

Future Plans

1. Family caregivers training
2. The development of the Bangkunon Elders Database
3. The development of the Gerontological Nursing Instrument
4. The development of the Gerontological Nursing Researchers Networks
5. Day Care Center

Academic service provide

1. Organization of a 3-days seminar and training program for a self health care of the pre-retired person. This program is provided for pre retired governmental and private officers to improve their knowledge in self health care, law and governmental farewell for the elderly and also a lifestyle during the retired aged.
2. Special speakers in gerontological nursing. The staffs of department of fundamental nursing have been invited to be guest speaker in many topics of gerontological nursing in the universities, governmental and private organizations and also in the seminar conferences and research study to exchange knowledge and experiences to develop the quality of life in the elderly.
3. Provide Web-Board of health problems question and answer for the elderly, care giver and people who are interested in the elderly health by staffs of department of fundamental nursing.

Nursing Services

Health Promotion Program for the elderly

The project of "health Promotion program for the elderly" aims to assistant the elderly to maintain optimal heath through health promotion and disease prevention programs. The centre operates 3 times a week including Monday, Wednesday and Friday form 8.00-12.00 am. The activities focus on health promotion which involve physical, psychosocial and spiritual well-being. The members participate in exercises, health counseling and recreation activities. Some members have been trained to be a leader in health promotion in order to be a role model for the elderly in the community. In addition, the center supports nursing practice for students.

The development of empowerment and quality of life for the elderly. There are 3 sub-projects as follows:

1. Enhancing the competency and networking of the elderly care in the community
   This project aims to provide health care providers, community leaders and community volunteers with education and training to serve the elders’ need in the community. The activities include workshop, training and knowledge sharing.
2. Behavior modification in the elderly with Diabetic Mellitus Program
   Diabetes affects approximately 10% of Thai elderly. Complications occur over the long course of the disease. Therefore, the development of Behavior modification program for the management of chronic illness is important for prevention the complications. The program provides the workshop and focus group for the elderly and their caregivers in the topics of diet, exercise, medical use and optimal care of the feet. Then, the elderly are followed with telephone couching and home visit.
3. Home Visit Volunteer Project
   The numbers of dependent members who participate in health promotion program for the elderly at faculty of nursing are increasing. Therefore, home visit volunteer is established to provide the continuous services at home. Some members who participate in the health promotion program for the elderly are trained to provide assessment and basic skills care in both physical and mental health.