http://www.geriatricnursing.org

Conclusion

Nursing care for older adults can be complex, challenging, and rewarding, as described in the case of Alice in the introduction to this Annual Report and illustrated in the stories of the nurses profiled in the preceding pages. Every older adult deserves high-quality, geriatric-competent care, and the nurses involved in the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC) Initiative are dedicated to realizing this goal.

At the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the BAGNC Initiative, founding Program Director Dr. Claire M. Fagin remarked: “BAGNC is an extraordinary example of transformational leadership. I have observed leaders emerge and be strengthened by building a cohort. I have seen young nurses stimulated and inspired by those who came before them. I see young nurses turning into the scientists and clinicians and educators who will prepare future generations. The need increases and does not diminish.”

The progress is exciting, but there remains an enormous gap between the need for nurses competent in geriatrics and their availability to older adults. The momentum must not stop. The Baby Boom generation started turning 65 in 2011 and the numbers will rapidly grow over the next two decades.

“We must continue to support and sustain those entering the field of geriatric nursing. They are America’s hope for a future of caring for and respecting a huge portion of our population.”
Dr. Claire Fagin

We hope this report inspires even more nurses to join Drs. Szanton, Resnick, Bailey, Kolanowski, Perez, Wyman, Holkup, Skemp, Reyes, Young, Siegel, Thompson, Beverly, Jurgens, and Archbold, and Ms. Eckfield, Ms. Aselage and Ms. Franklin, and become academic geriatric nurses. We hope this report also raises the awareness of policy makers, funders, and the public about the need to support geriatric nursing as a vital mechanism to provide better, safer care for older adults.