Try This, a publication of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, is a series of assessment tools where each issue focuses on a topic specific to the older adult population.

The goal of the Try This: Best Practices in Care for Older Adults series of assessment tools is to provide knowledge of best practices in the care of older adults that is:
   easily accessible

  •    easily understood
  •    easily implemented, and
  •    to encourage the use of these best practices by all direct care nurses
Issue 1
   SPICES: An Overall Assessment Tool of Older Adults
Issue 2
   Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) (Updated)
Issue 4
   The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
Issue 5
   Predicting Pressure Ulcer Sore Risk (Updated)
Issue 6
   The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Issue 7
   Assessing Pain In Older Adults
Issue 8
   Fall Risk Assessment
Issue 9
   Nutrition and Hydration Assessment
Issue 10
   Sexuality Assessment for Older Adults
Issue 11
   Urinary Incontinence Assessment
Issue 12
   Hearing Screening
Issue 13
   Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)
Issue 14
   Caregiver Strain Index (CSI)
Issue 15
   Elder Abuse and Neglect Assessment
Issue 16
   Beers' Criteria for potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in the Ederly


The content is directed to orient and encourage all nurses to understand the special needs of older adults and utilize the highest standards of practice in caring for the elderly.

Each Try This issue is a 2-page document with a description of why the topic is important when caring for older patients on the first page, and an assessment tool that can be administered in 20 minutes or less on the second page. The series is accessible here online and also as hard copy.

Permissions: Please download and print these issues for your use. Permission is granted for photocopying and disseminating for educational, non-profit use only. Try This can only be reproduced in its entirety. If you plan to include any Try This issues in a publication please contact us for permission. In addition, if you wish to use only an assessment tool, you must contact that publisher directly for permission.

*Try This instruments are designed to be used as screening tools, not for diagnosis.

If you have any questions or comments, or would like to be on the Try This mailing list, please email Nicole Rotunda at nicole.rotunda@nyu.edu or call her at (212) 998-5152. Complimentary future issues will be mailed automatically.




© 2000. Hartford Institute, New York University Division of Nursing.