Community nurse contribution to the support of active old-age

Community nursing contribution to the support of active old-age In connection with the growing tendency of the number of seniors in the Czech Republic the necessity to keep the senior generation active and self-sufficient as long as possible arises. The activities of geriatric nurses have been currently conducted by nurses of general practitioners and nurses of home-care agencies. However, in the primary care, community nurses would be of use, as they are abroad. We have ascertained what seniors themselves, the younger public but also nurses and students expect from a community nurse in the support of active old age. In the qualitative part of the research we used the technique of a semi-structured interview while in the quantitative part we used the questionnaire technique. We have managed to find answers to the research questions set out at the beginning of the research: the public expects a community nurse to provide nursing and health care together with assistance in the social field; the public expects a community nurse to focus on education in the field of a healthy lifestyle and therapeutic regimen; seniors expect broader social assistance provided by a community nurse than the younger public; financial security, healthy diet and physical activity constitute a form of preparation of the younger public for their old age; the younger public wants to be informed by a community nurse about preparation for old age. We have also confirmed the hypotheses raised by us: 1) Nurses prefer a community nurse to undertake the role of a provider of (required) care rather than the role of an educator in the support of active old age. 2) Students of the 3rd grade of study branch ``General Nurse{\crqq} of the Faculty of Health and Social Studies of the University of South Bohemia (ZSF JU) prefer a community nurse to undertake the role of an educator in the support of active old age rather than the role of a provider of (required) care. The results may serve for further researches, may be the inspiration for educational programmes and courses in the field of community care of seniors or may serve for development of community planning in the support of active old age. They will certainly contribute to a change of the view of a nurse working with a senior community