Complementary and alternative therapies for our aging society

Gerontological nurses are dynamic individuals who recognize the necessary changes needed to reform a biotechnology-driven health care system to become a relationship-centered, care-driven healing system with elders. They must continue to take action to enhance caring and healing at personal levels and in various professional levels of clinical practice and health care reform. As gerontological nurses pursue personal, clinical, educational, and research approaches to holistic nursing and caring-healing modalities, they increase their knowledge and skills of holism and the complex body-mind-spirit interconnections, and provide relationship-centered care (Tresolini, 1994). Gerontological nurses then truly blend the art and science of caring with elders, and lead to a deeper understanding of healing as a lifelong journey into wholeness (Achterberg, Dossey & Kolkmeier, 1994).