Nancy Roper

Nancy Roper (1918–2004) was a British nurse theorist, lexicographer and creator with Winifred W. Logan and Alison J. Tierney of the Roper–Logan–Tierney model of nursing used widely in nurse training in the United Kingdom, USA and Europe, since mid-1970s.

Life and early career Nancy Roper was born on 29 September 1918, at Wetheral, near Carlisle,

After this she trained as a state registered (adult) nurse in 1943, winning student nurse medals at Leeds General Infirmary. From 1964, Roper was a self-employed lexicographer and author. Roper wrote in the British Journal of Nursing in 2002, that as early as when a student nurse she was not happy that rotating wards for different experiences was useful, as there were 'more similarities than differences in nursing patients with different conditions'. Nursing methods developed from the activities of living and enhanced for use in a wider range of care settings, include for managing care in the community. A model of activities of daily living was later extended to cover Instrumental Activities of Daily Living for assessing ageing or disabled people's capability to live independently self-managing finances, domestic chores, socialising and communications.

Roper's approach was more holistic as well as practical and reminded the nurse to look at the whole patient's needs, their capabilities and their past, present and future experiences. which seeks to define “what living means:”

maintaining a safe environment communication breathing eating and drinking elimination washing and dressing temperature control mobilization working and playing expressing sexuality sleeping death and dying

The factors that influence activities of living are biological, psychological, sociocultural, environmental, and politicoeconomic. These factors make the model holistic, and if they are not included in assessment, it will be both incomplete and flawed."

Death and legacy Roper died in Edinburgh 5 October 2004, and tributes were paid in nursing and general publications. However both the Nursing Times said she had 'influenced generations of nurses' and the British Journal of Nursing also noted that Roper received neither a state honour nor a Royal College of Nursing fellowship.

"To record nursing care rapidly, clearly and concisely using the precepts of the nursing process. To acquire accurate information to plan and implement nursing care."

In her obituary, a lecturer in nurse education, John Adams, said in The Independent, that Roper was both innovative and practical:'When I was a student 30 years ago I would have found her list of activities very helpful. It is difficult to realise it now, but then there was no recognised framework. So you somehow had to remember everything from scratch. The very simplicity of the model helps to explain its universal usefulness.' The Royal College of Nursing executive director, Alison Kitson said: ‘Nancy was an inspiration to her profession. She combined clear thinking with compassion and has left a treasured legacy through her work around activities of daily living in nursing.’