The first book I reached for in 2001 when I began my serious inquiry of best nursing
practices for older adults was the initial edition of this very text. In fact, I had both a
home version and an office version. It was never far from my reach, and I used it daily
when developing a series of teaching plans to educate nurses on the care of hospitalized
elders. Because each protocol was and remains research or evidence based, it represented
the state of the science on care problems faced by staff nurses caring for older adults.