Report by Viju Mangalore - pics Dayanand Kukkaje - Saturday, 1-45 pm

Mangalore, Feb 11: The Indian Nursing Council is planning to initiate steps to bring advancements in nursing standards, said president, Indian Nursing Council, New Delhi T Dileep Kumar.

Speaking after inaugurating the V national conference of Indian Society of Psychiatric Nurses, ISPN-2006 in the Academy Hall of Fr Muller College of Nursing here on Saturday morning, he said that the age of information technology calls for nurses to be up-to-date with latest technology especially after the entry of different specializations.

Commenting on the methods to be used for assessing geriatric mental health, Kumar said that culturally sensitive methods, which are simple and cost effective, must be adopted. He also stressed the need to train primary health care personnel in identification of mental illnesses among older people.

Kumar also lamented on the poor state of geriatric care in hospitals in India.

Professor and head of the department of nursing, NIMHANS and president of ISPN, K Reddemma delivered the keynote address on Geriatric Mental Health Psychiatric Nursing Perspectives.

The three-day conference is being orgnized by Fr Muller College of Nursing and the Indian Society of Psychiatric Nurses under the auspices of Fr Muller Charitable Institutions.

Director, FMCI Fr Baptist Menezes, principal Fr Muller College of Nursing Sr Jacintha D’Souza, general secretary, ISPN and assistant professor of Nurisng NIMHANS, Bangalore were also present on the occasion.

• CLICK HERE to read about healthcare facilities available at Fr Muller Institutions