Patricia M. Burbank, a University of Rhode Island nursing professor, has won The American Journal of Nursing’s Book of the Year 2006 award in geriatric nursing for her book “Vulnerable Adults: Health Care Needs and Interventions,” which focuses on five specific groups of older adults who tend to be the most vulnerable. Burbank is also coordinator of URI’s Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist Program.
PBN: How many people do these categories encompass?
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BURBANK: The book covers five subgroups of older people: frail elders; homeless; those in prisons; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elders; and those with HIV/AIDS. Frail older adults – a minority within their own age group – are the majority of consumers of hospital, home and long-term care. … It is difficult to determine the numbers of homeless [elders]; conservative estimates range from 60,000 to 400,000. The number of older prisoners is about 66,000 conservative estimate. And it is estimated that about 13 percent of people living with AIDS are age 50 or men and 3,800 women. LGBT older adults are an invisible minority, but 3.5 million is probably a older, although it is believed that the number may be much higher.
PBN: What sorts of interventions does your book advocate?
BURBANK: For frail elders, exercise and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle significantly decreases the risk of becoming frail. Education for health care providers, agency staff and the public is needed to raise consciousness about issues related to LGBT older adults. … For all of these groups, advocacy efforts for improved health care and quality of life are needed.
PBN: What topics are you researching now?
BURBANK: My current research is on fall prevention, specifically ways to increase older adults’ physical activity and types of exercises that are most beneficial. … If we could do one thing that would have the best chance of improving the health of older adults, decreasing health care costs, and improving quality of life, it would be for older adults to be physically active and exercise regularly.
PBN: Are nurses who study at URI staying in the state, or moving away?
BURBANK: About 50 percent of our graduates from the BSN program stay in Rhode Island. About half of our students are from out of state, and they tend to return to their home states. … Occasionally, out-of-state students also stay, because they really like our state.
