Now we can all get some sleep…
If you can remember the infamous Claytons television ad the above line came from, you are probably closer to the demographic of an ‘older nurse’ than you think.
According to the international literature, an older nurse is aged fifty or over, and more than 40 per cent of New Zealand nurses fall into that age group.
In this edition we look at keeping baby boomer nurses happy and healthy in the workplace as our focus turns to nurses looking after their own health and wellbeing.
Persuading more ‘older nurses’ to delay retirement will become an increasing issue, with a recent New Zealand Nurses Organisation survey indicating 30 per cent of nurses over 50 plan to retire within the next two to five years.
We report on Health Workforce New Zealand chair Des Gorman being kept awake at night worrying about having enough nurses at the bedside in 2020 to meet the country’s health needs. We talk to him about HWNZ declaring 2013 the year of the nurse, as it turns its full attention to the looming nursing workforce crisis.
Meanwhile, he might also be interested in Nursing Review’s article on insomnia and sleeping experts’ tips on how to overcome it. May 2103 be the year we all get a good night’s sleep.
