The document outlines the importance of age-specific competency training for nurses, emphasizing the need to tailor patient care to individual developmental stages from prenatal through elderly. It details various skills and practices that enhance communication, safety, and relationship-building across different age groups. Ultimately, the goal is to improve patient satisfaction and care quality by equipping nurses with the knowledge to address age-related needs effectively.

1. AGE-SPECIFIC COMPETENCY
TRAINING FOR NURSES
PRESENTED BY:
DEPT. OF PEDIATRIC NURSING
FACULTY OF NURSING
ASSAM DOWN TOWN
UNIVERSITY

2. What are Age-Specific Competencies?
• It is a skill which enable you to care for the patient, resident, or
client at that individual’s stage of life.
• The purpose of Age-Specific Considerations in Patient Care is to
provide healthcare professionals with information about different
age groups, how to identify needs related to these age groups, and
how to vary patient care issues with age specific needs in mind.

3. What are these Skills?
Communication
Safety and Security
Health
Recognition of common illnesses

4. STAGES OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
1. Prenatal: Conception to
birth
2. Neonatal: Birth to 28 days
3. Infancy: Birth to 1 year of
age
4. Toddler: 1 to 3 years
5. Pre-schoolers: 3-6 years
6. Schooler age: 6-12 years
7. Adolescence: 12-19 years
8. Young Adult: 21-39 years
9. Middle adult: 40-64 years
10. Older Adult: 65- 79 years
11. Elderly: 80 years or above

5. HOW AGE MATTERS?
Every individual differs from others according to:
Safety
Privacy
Confidentiality
Comfort
Pain Management
Choices & Control
 Involvement of family and/or significant others

6. How Will This Help Me?
Enable you to care for each person at every
stage of life.
Each patient/resident/client will get individual
care, and can be a partner in his/her own care.
Your work satisfaction will be improved as you
improve patient care relationships and teamwork.

7. Some aspects of care that vary greatly with the age
of the patient are:
• Performing physical assessment and interpreting the findings
• Administrating medication
• Assessing and addressing nutritional status
• Involving the patient in care and decision making
• Providing instruction and education
• Selecting medical equipment and supplies
• Assisting the patient to cope with hospitalization
• Assessing risk for injury and using preventive measures

8. NEONATES & INFANT
• Fear of strangers (begins at 6-8
months of age)
• Communicate discomfort by crying,
facial expressions, body movement
• Prefer to be held in familiar positions
• Like established routines
• Like verbal repetition

9. • Understand simple commands,
respond well to consistency
• Are fearless, choke easily, accident
prone, require constant supervision
• Need to consistently have needs met
to develop sense of trust (feeding,
changing)

10. NEEDS
Provide safe and thermo neutral environment to the baby.
Provide nutrition in form of breastfeeding, on demand.
Maintain hygiene of baby.
Provide timely immunization
Stimulation to play
Provide love and nurture

11. CARE PRACTICE
1. Talk to baby before touching
2. Involve parents in procedure if possible
3. Imitate how parent holds baby
4. Explain procedure to parents beforehand
5. Remove unnecessary equipment
6. Keep infant clothed as much as possible
7. Do not leave infant unattended
8. Allow parent to hold infant while waiting
9. Ask parents about immunization record

12. TODDLERS
• Views uncomfortable procedures as
punishment
• Needs security objects
• Curious, unaware of danger
• Comprehension greater than ability to verbalize
• Short attention span
• Frequently says “NO” trying to demonstrating
independence
• Can be cooperative if trust is won

13. NEEDS
Parental love
Acceptance
Proper nutrition
Play stimulation
Toilet training
Immunization
Safety

14. CARE PRACTICE
1. Reassure that treatment is not a punishment
2. Simple explanations
3. Give one direction at time
4. Demonstrate equipment
5. Speak at eye level, maintain eye contact
6. Remove unnecessary equipment
7. Use distraction techniques
8. Involve parents, allow to be present during procedures

15. PRE-SCHOOLERS
• By age 5, speaks in 8 word sentences
• Increased speech skills, attention span
and memory
• Truth important
• Fear bodily injury, separation, death,
punishment
• Difficulty expressing needs
• Privacy important
• Accident prone

16. NEEDS
Emotional and social needs like love and affection, friendships etc.
Love and Security
Guidance
Dependence progressing to independence
Sense of initiative are making strides in becoming independent in self-
care activities

17. CARE PRACTICE
1. Use simple explanation
2. Adapts to changes in environment more easily than toddler
3. Be truthful about pain, discomfort
4. Encourage questions regarding fears
5. Include parents in teaching
6. Plan procedure to minimize waiting time

18. SCHOOL-AGE
• Developing greater sense of self
• Start to negotiate for independence
• Need to fit in with peers
• Rules very important
• Need respect for privacy
• Fear mutilation, loss of control

19. NEEDS
Nutrition
Play
Rest and sleep
Dental & personal hygiene
Safety and prevention of accidents
Prevention from sexual abuse & drug abuse

20. CARE PRACTICE
1. Allow child to exercise some control
2. Allow to handle equipment as learning tool (as appropriate)
3. Respect privacy
4. Include parent in teaching
5. Reassure child it is okay to cry
6. Guide in making choices that are healthy and safe

21. ADOLESCENTS
• Transition stage (developing identity) & stress
filled
• Continually striving for independence and
control
• Appreciate being treated as adults
• Self-conscious about appearance (body image)
• Need respect of privacy
• Risk takers, strong sense of immortality
• Rapid growth, awkwardness on gross motor
skills, development of occupational identity

22. NEEDS
• Self care
• Balanced diet
• Eating habits
• Personal hygiene
• Accident prevention
• Prevention of sexual abuse

23. CARE PRACTICE
1. Encourage questions
2. Treat more as adult, avoid authoritarian approach
3. Allow maintenance of control
4. Talk directly to them, not through parents, and offer explanations
5. Maintain privacy
6. Establish trust to gain cooperation

24. YOUNG ADULT
• Sets career goals, chooses lifestyle
• May start own family, building
connections
• Developing responsible attitude
• Need to establish healthy lifestyle
• Nutrition needed for maintenance not
growth
• Mental abilities peak during 20s

25. CARE PRACTICE
1. Respect personal values, be honest & supportive
2. Consider significant others, impact on job
3. Encourage to pursue healthy lifestyle
4. Teach & encourage testicular & breast self-exam
5. Maintain privacy
6. Encourage creating advance directive

26. MIDDLE ADULT
• May develop chronic health problems
• Decrease in bone and muscle mass, short
term memory, loss of skeletal height and
calcium, skin elasticity, dry skin,
wrinkles
• Women experience menopause
• Use life experiences to learn, solve
problems
• Future oriented, has specific goals

27. CARE PRACTICE
1. Encourage regular check-ups & preventative exams
2. Assist person to recognize risk factors related to health
3. Focus on their strengths
4. Address worries about children & aging parents
5. Treat with respect
6. Provide explanations and educate

28. OLDER ADULT
• Continue to be active learner/thinker
• Takes on new roles, balances
independence vs. dependence
• Most elderly are not depressed
• May become isolated
• Some decline in physical abilities, senses,
memory skills (short term memory,
attention span shortens)

29. CARE PRACTICE
1. Promote mobility & ADL (activities of daily living)
2. Consider needs related to diminished sight, hearing (may need to read information
to patient, face person when talking to them)
3. Allow reminiscing about the past
4. Promote physical, mental, social activities to prevent isolation
5. Allow more time for processing new information
6. Educate about safety measures

30. ELDERLY
• Decline in physical ability, increased
risk for chronic illness
• Decline in memory & learning skills
• May need assistance in ADL
• May have diminished appetite, fluid
intake

31. CARE PRACTICE
1. Encourage as much mobility & ADL as possible
2. Encourage healthy eating & adequate fluid intake, monitor bowel
function
3. Avoid treating older adult like a child
4. Respect & support end of life decisions

32. CONCLUSION
As we all know that every individual is different and unique hence their
needs for care also varies.
Age specific competency care is an essential part of patient care in
hospitals as it gives information about different age group, their needs
and practice implications for patients of different age groups which
leads to maximum patient satisfaction ultimately leading to improved
quality of care in health institutions.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the nurses to be competent to give
specific care to patients according to their needs.