RCN Clinical topics

• Older people
• Frailty in older people

Royal College of Nursing (2024) Eyes right: older people and driving. RCN: London.

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Age UK: Information guides and factsheets 

• Information aimed at the general public.
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James van Oppen (2022) What matters to older people with frailty in hospital? NIHR Evidence summary.

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NHS England: Frailty resources

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Older People’s Commissioner for Wales

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We would like to thank the RCN Older People's member community for their input into the development of this subject guide.

Barrett C and Hinchliff S (2017) Addressing the sexual rights of older people. London: Routledge.

• Access through RCN Library

Bowker L, Montague A, Shah K, Smith S (2026) Oxford handbook of geriatric medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Access through RCN library

Cunningham S and Moore T (2021) Nursing skills in supporting mobility. London: Routledge.

• Access through RCN Library

Day M, McCarthy G and Fitzpatrick J (2018) Self-neglect in older adults: a global, evidence-based resource for nurses and other health care providers. New York, NY: Springer.

• Access through RCN Library

Ebersole P, Touhy T A, Jett K F and Hess P (2020) Ebersole and Hess’ toward healthy aging: human needs and nursing response. 10th edn. St Louis: Elsevier Mosby.

• Access through RCN Library

Ellett A (2023) Getting dementia care right: what’s not working and how it can change. Health Professions.

• Access through RCN Library

Gomes F (2022) Frailty in older adults with cancer. Cham: Springer International.

• Access through RCN Library

Isik A T and Grossberg G T (2018) Delirium in elderly patients. Cham: Springer International.

• Access through RCN Library

Pryor C, and Tiplady S (eds.) (2025) Fundamentals of caring for the older person. Bognor Regis: Wiley.

• Access through RCN library

Rahman S (2019) Living with frailty: from assets and deficits to resilience. Oxon: Routledge.

• Access through RCN Library

Rahman S, Inouye S, MacLullich A, Davis D and Arora A (2020) Essentials of delirium: everything you really need to know for working in delirium care. London:  Jessica Kingsley.

• Access through RCN Library

Reynolds P, Simpson P, Hafford-Letchfield T and Ferrerro Camolletto R (eds.) (2025) Resexualising later life: performances of older sexual citizenship. Bristol: Policy Press.

• Access through RCN library

Ross F, Harris R G, Fitzpatrick J, Abley C and Redfern S J (2024) Redfern's nursing older people. 5th edn. Edinburgh: Elsevier.

• Access through RCN Library

Tampi R R, Tampi D J, Young J J et al. (2022) Essential reviews in geriatric psychiatry. Cham: Springer International.

• Access through RCN Library

Veronese N (ed.) (2020) Frailty and cardiovascular diseases: research into an elderly population. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

• Access through RCN library

Use these links to see details of books the RCN libraries hold on each topic.

• Dementia care
• End of life care in older people
• Frailty
• Nursing older people
• Older patients

Use these links for details of journal articles on each topic.

• Nursing older people
• Dementia care nursing
• Older patients
• Population ageing

Journals of interest for the care of older people. Use these links to see details of availability.

• Geriatric Nursing
• International Journal of Older People Nursing
• Journal of Gerontological Nursing
• Nursing and Residential Care (NRC)
• Nursing Older People
• Working with Older People

RCN exhibition: Aspects of age

• Explore the shift from institutional to home care over two centuries of older people’s nursing, from the workhouses of the Victorian era to the hospital, care home and beyond. In an ageing population, we ask how nursing can improve the lives of those over 75.
  View online exhibition