At Action Products, where we take great pride in our ongoing role in geriatric nursing products, we are devoting this blog series to geriatric home healthcare.

Geriatric home health care, designed to help older adults live independently for as long as possible, even with an illness or injury, may include any or all of the following:

occupational therapy
physical therapy
speech therapy
skilled nursing
help with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting, taking medications, feeding)

There’s a difference between home health care and home care services, the eldercare.acl.gov fact sheet explains. Home health care is medical in nature, and home health care professionals are typically licensed practical nurses, therapists, or home health aides, employed by agencies, hospitals, or public health departments. Home health care is indicated when patients need monitoring and/or dressing changes after a hospital discharge. Particularly for the elderly, the Merck Manual explains, home health care may also be indicated in cases where medically complex care is needed or where acute or chronic problems exist.

There are several types of nurses working in the field of geriatrics. Some specialize in clinical or mental health, while others are generalists, Geriatric Nursing.org explains. Whatever the choice, there is critical need. As life expectancy continues to rise, geriatric nursing is becoming more important than ever. There are 41 U.S. colleges and universities offering nursing programs specifically focused on geriatrics and geriatric nursing. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers three main categories of certification for geriatric nurses:

Gerontological Nurse Specialist
Clinical Nurse Specialist in Gerontological Nursing
Gerontological Nurse Practitioner

By the year 2030, AACN reports, older adults will represent not only half of all hospital stays and nearly two-thirds of all ambulatory adult primary care visits, but almost three-quarters of all home care visits. Many of these older people have health conditions that do not require hospitalization, but must be treated with medication, changes in diet, use of special equipment (such as a blood sugar monitor or walker), daily exercises or other adaptations, ExploreHealthCareers.org explains. Geriatric nurses help design and explain these healthcare regimens to patients and their families, sometimes functioning as “case managers”. Caroline Stephens (researcher on the faculty of the UCSF School of Nursing) believes nurses are ideally positioned to take the lead on geriatric care management because “we have a holistic approach versus a disease-oriented approach”.

With skin care is at the very foundation of such a holistic approach to geriatric healthcare, we’re proud that Action Products has been at the forefront of the pressure injury prevention initiative since its inception. Our company’s home health care products include wheelchair cushions, adaptive pads, and mattress overlays, all designed to preserve skin integrity for patients receiving geriatric care at home.

Pressure Injuries Can Affect Patients for a Lifetime

by Sally Fulmer | September 17, 2025 | Action Products, Decubitus Ulcer Prevention, Gel Pad, Gel Positioner, Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcers, Inc., Patient Positioning, Positioning The Patient, Pressure Injury, Pressure Redistribution, Pressure Sore, Pressure Sore Prevention, Pressure Ulcer Education, Pressure Ulcer Management, Surgery Patient Positioning, Surgical Patient Safety, Viscoelastic Polymer, Wound Prevention | 0 Comments

Hospital acquired pressure injuries (HAPI) can cause severe pain and even death to the patient. When HAPIs are discussed among healthcare managers, cost comes first to mind. However, there are other concerns healthcare workers should consider. First and foremost is...

Enhancing Patient Safety with Viscoelastic Gel Overlays in Surgical Positioning

by The Action Products Team | July 29, 2025 | Action Products, Decubitus Ulcer Prevention, Gel Pad, Gel Positioner, Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcers, Inc., Patient Positioning, Positioning The Patient, Pressure Injury, Pressure Redistribution, Pressure Sore, Pressure Sore Prevention, Pressure Ulcer Education, Pressure Ulcer Management, Surgery Patient Positioning, Surgical Patient Safety, Viscoelastic Polymer, Wound Prevention | 0 Comments

Surgical nurses play a critical role in protecting patients from positioning-related pressure injuries during surgical procedures. One of the most effective tools to support this mission is the viscoelastic gel overlay, a material designed to reduce pressure, enhance...

Take the Time for a “Time Out”

by The Action Products Team | June 11, 2025 | Action Products, Inc., Surgical Patient Safety | 0 Comments

The “Time Out” The “time out” is one part of the Universal Protocol developed by the Joint Commission to prevent wrong-site, wrong-procedure, and wrong-person surgery. Each are considered never events by the National Quality Forum and sentinel events by the Joint...

Pressure Injuries in Ambulatory Surgical Centers

by The Action Products Team | June 11, 2025 | Action Products, Decubitus Ulcer Prevention, Gel Pad, Gel Positioner, Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcers, Inc., Patient Positioning, Positioning The Patient, Pressure Injury, Pressure Redistribution, Pressure Sore, Pressure Sore Prevention, Pressure Ulcer Education, Pressure Ulcer Management, Surgery Patient Positioning, Surgical Patient Safety, Viscoelastic Polymer, Wound Prevention | 0 Comments

An ambulatory surgical center (ASC) is a healthcare facility that focuses on providing same-day surgical care that includes diagnostic and preventative surgery. When looking at the ASC, it has transformed the outpatient surgical experience for millions of Americans by...

Gel Overlays: A Head-to-Toe Tool in the Prevention of Perioperative Pressure Injuries

by The Action Products Team | May 1, 2025 | Action Products, Decubitus Ulcer Prevention, Gel Pad, Gel Positioner, Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcers, Inc., Patient Positioning, Positioning The Patient, Pressure Injury, Pressure Redistribution, Pressure Sore, Pressure Sore Prevention, Pressure Ulcer Education, Pressure Ulcer Management, Surgery Patient Positioning, Surgical Patient Safety, Viscoelastic Polymer, Wound Prevention | 0 Comments

Amos Schonrock, MAN, RN, ST, PHN, CSSM, CNAMB, CNOR, NE-BCPerioperative Practice and Safety SpecialistAs perioperative professionals, the operating room team has a constant dedication and calling to the creation and maintenance of an environment that keeps our patient...

Supine Positioning: Enhanced Approaches to a Common Surgical Routine

Amos Schonrock, MAN, RN, ST, PHN, CSSM, CNAMB, CNOR, NE-BCPerioperative Practice and Safety SpecialistOne of the highly common surgical positions is supine. This approach involves the surgical team’s watchful eyes to oversee a patient that will lie on their back with...

Pressure Injuries: Protect your Patients in Extreme Surgical Positions

by The Action Products Team | April 22, 2025 | Action Products, Decubitus Ulcer Prevention, Gel Pad, Gel Positioner, Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcers, Inc., Patient Positioning, Positioning The Patient, Pressure Injury, Pressure Redistribution, Pressure Sore, Pressure Sore Prevention, Pressure Ulcer Education, Pressure Ulcer Management, Surgery Patient Positioning, Surgical Patient Safety, Viscoelastic Polymer, Wound Prevention | 0 Comments

Some surgical procedures require extreme positioning to ensure that the targeted surgical area is accessible to the surgeon and the surgical team. Extreme positioning requires extreme positioning devices, manufactured to meet the need for surgical access....

Safe Lateral Position for Improved Team and Patient Outcomes

by The Action Products Team | April 20, 2025 | Action Products, Inc., Patient Positioning, Positioning The Patient, Surgery Patient Positioning, Surgical Patient Safety | 0 Comments

The lateral surgical position is one of the most labor-intensive surgical positions that depends on brute force and team strength. The lateral position is not only physically taxing on the staff, but also can be as hard on the patient; therefore, it is important to...

Pressure Injuries in the Neonatal Population

by The Action Products Team | April 18, 2025 | Action Products, Decubitus Ulcer Prevention, Gel Pad, Gel Positioner, Inc., Pediatric Positioning, Pressure Sore, Pressure Sore Prevention, Pressure Ulcer Education, Pressure Ulcer Management, Surgery Patient Positioning, Surgical Patient Safety, Viscoelastic Polymer, Wound Prevention | 0 Comments

Typically, when we think of skin injury prevention in the acute care setting, we think of that immobile, post trauma, geriatric or surgical patient. There is a plethora of literature and research around the subject yet each year, more than 2.5 million people in the...

Protect the Heels with Evidence Based Interventions

by The Action Products Team | April 10, 2025 | Action Products, Decubitus Ulcer Prevention, Gel Pad, Gel Positioner, Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcers, Inc., Patient Positioning, Positioning The Patient, Pressure Injury, Pressure Redistribution, Pressure Sore, Pressure Sore Prevention, Pressure Ulcer Education, Pressure Ulcer Management, Surgery Patient Positioning, Surgical Patient Safety, Viscoelastic Polymer, Wound Prevention | 0 Comments

The supine position is the most common surgical position with the patient lying on their back with the head, neck and spine in a neutral position. This position is not without pressure injury risk as there is increased pressure and shear forces to the scapula,...

Geriatric Nursing Care in the Home Setting

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