Advancing Well-Being and Health of Elderly with Integrative Nursing Principles

There is a need for holistic care for thesurvival of the elderly, to increase their independence in their daily lifeactivities, to improve their health and their well-being in order to ensure ahealthy aging. Integrative nursing principles are a field of application ofholistic philosophy and may be a guide to health professionals in improving thehealth of individuals, families and communities. These principles were firstannounced in 2014, and have been described as a health approach that takes theindividual, family and society as a whole together with their environment andrelationships and adopts the principle of using all the healing methods inhealth care. Integrative nursing principlescan be used as a guide to holistic assessment and improvement of the health ofthe elderly. Interventions who take care of them with the environment they livein (home visits), support their existing healing process (focusing to patientduring nursing care), benefit from the healing effect of the nature (spendingtime in nature), strengthen the relationship (mobilization of the socialenvironment) and use all evidence-based healing methods (yoga, tai chi) shouldbe included in the care of elderly individuals. Health professionals should learnintegrative nursing principles and care for these principles in order toimprove the health and well-being of the elderly. Giving care according tointegrative nursing principles can increase the quality of life of the elderlyand reduce health spending.

Cite this article as: Ilgaz, A., and Gözüm,S. (2019). Advancing well-being and health of elderly with integrative nursingprinciples. FNJN Florence Nightingale Journal of Nursing, 27(2): 201-210.