Addressing the inevitability of nurses caring for older adults with mental health and substance abuse issues, the American Academy of Nursing’s Geropsychiatric Nursing Collaborative (GPNC) released a new short video: “Discover Mental Health: The Forgotten Piece in Elder Care.”

The video conveys that while not every student will become a geropsychiatric nurse, almost all nurses at some point in their careers will care for older adults with mental health issues. Therefore, nurses will need the requisite knowledge, skills and compassion to improve the quality of life for this most challenging, rewarding and neglected population.