ARELLANO UNIVERSITY

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF NURSING

2600 Legarda St., Manila, Philippines
www.arellano.edu.ph
PACUCOA Level 1 Accredited Status

Writing Handouts in Adult and Older Adult Clients

Handout is a paper based resource used to support teaching and learning which can free students from
excessive note taking or supplement information not easily available elsewhere.

Why use a handout?

There are several reasons for using a handout. It can:

a. provide definitions for the more jargon ridden subjects;
b. provide background information or detailed information, e.g. statistics, which are not readily
available elsewhere;
c. put forward a point of view;
d. outline a course of action;
e. pose conceptual questions;
f. provide a case study for problem solving or discussion;
g. provide a complex diagram rather than students copying from the OHP;
h. give a step by step instruction for teaching a skill or running a laboratory exercise;
i. outline the session with a series of bullet points per topic area;
j. produce a hard copy of the transparencies used by reducing the print size of your overhead
transparencies which can be printed down one half of the page, allowing students space to add
their own comments or questions alongside.

Directions
1. Write handouts on adult clients including the following topics:
1.1 Adult Client
A. Developmental stages
B. Physical status
C. Healthy behaviours
D. Risks for alterations in health
E. Assessment guidelines
1. 2 Older Adult Client
A. Developmental task
B. Aging: Myth vs. Fact
C. Leading cause of death in older adults
D. Age-Related Changes
> Physical changes
> Psychological problems
E. What is gerontological nursing?

2. Use the what, how, why, when and where questions as appropriate.
3. Make sure the appearance of the material is up to standard. Try to keep handouts as concise as
possible
4. Handouts should be attractive, easy to read, and comprehensive. Avoid long, dense handouts.
Make them look attractive: leave spaces etc.
5. At a minimum, handouts should contain the following information:
a. Title and date of the presentation
b. Outline of the presentation, including key concepts
c. Objectives of the presentation
d. Background information, documents, spreadsheets, and so on,
e. List of references
f. Print size: use the smallest print size which is manageable for the average reader.