Digital can help with care

Welcome to the June issue of Nursing Older People. This month, Deidre Wild and colleagues ask the digital question in the second part of their article on digital skills training in care homes.

Data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing show that 10% of women and 28% of men aged over 80 use the internet; arguably there is no excuse for even ‘mature’ nurses to dodge the digital question. The internet has transformed access to evidence-based health care, education and patient and carer resources.

The RCN and British Geriatrics Society websites offer outstanding information for gerontological practitioners and can be accessed via the links at the end of this editorial. When you add the power of social media, the potential for sharing and learning about best practice in the care of older people is immense.

However, to get the most out of going digital, we also need standardised access to integrated electronic records, with safe protocols for information sharing. Progress in this area has been woefully slow, hampered by technical and financial difficulties. However, this should not prevent us harnessing the power of digital technology on an individual level.

Even the ‘mature’ nurse should embrace digital – after all, 10% of women and 28% of men over 80 are online

Whether you consider yourself a technophobe or technophile, turn to to read more about the digital challenge. And for those of you with a print subscription package to Nursing Older People, remember that you can choose to go digital, too.

Read more about the British Geriatrics Society nurses and allied health professionals group at tinyurl.com/jezwmxq

RCN resources on older people can be found at the RCN website.